The Dallas Mavericks fired normal supervisor Nico Harrison on Tuesday, dismissing the man who traded away fan-favorite Luka Dončić in certainly one of the most stunning NBA trades in current reminiscence.
Mavs fans basically rebelled against Harrison in the months after the early February commerce, chanting, “Fire Nico!” at each alternative. Harrison turned one thing akin to Public Enemy No. 1 in Dallas, even after lucking into the high choose in the 2025 NBA Draft and drafting Duke star Cooper Flagg.
In a letter to fans, proprietor Patrick Dumont stated the present state of the group is just not in step with the expectations fans have set for the Mavs.
“No one associated with the Mavericks organization is happy with the start of what we all believed would be a promising season,” Dumont wrote. “You have high expectations for the Mavericks, and I share them with you. When the results don’t meet expectations, it’s my responsibility to act. I’ve made the decision to part ways with General Manager Nico Harrison.”
He added, “I know our players are deeply committed to a winning culture, this decision was critical to moving our franchise forward in a positive direction.”
The group introduced Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi will function co-interim normal managers whereas a everlasting alternative is sought.
The Dončić commerce ended up ushering in certainly one of the bleakest stretches for any NBA team in current reminiscence. On February 1, the Mavericks despatched Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round draft choose.
For Dallas Mavericks fans, Luka Dončić was ‘the guy.’ Then his shock commerce modified every thing.
In the period after the deal, the Mavericks went 14-21, misplaced Anthony Davis – the predominant participant Dallas acquired in return for Dončić – for weeks resulting from harm in his first recreation with the team, misplaced talisman Kyrie Irving to a season-ending ACL harm and watched a slew of different gamers go down damage. Davis returned as the Mavs tried to win a spot in the NBA playoffs by way of the play-in spherical however in the end fell quick.
During that total time, the fans demanded Harrison be fired and pundits declared that the Mavericks had just made a doubtlessly franchise killing transfer. Dončić is just 26 years previous, led the team to the NBA Finals in the 2023-24 season, had been named All-NBA every year he had been in the league and was coming into his prime. All reporting round the deal indicated that Dončić by no means deliberate to go away Dallas, and his emotional return to Texas in April indicated that the ache of the shock transfer nonetheless pained him.
The 26-year-old told ESPN that he threw and cracked his telephone when he first heard about the commerce, including that he felt “sadness mostly” and that he “felt like my heart was broken, honestly.”
In his end-of-season news conference, Harrison stated he was shocked by the metropolis’s depth of feeling for Dončić.
“I did know that Luka was important to the fanbase,” Harrison instructed reporters throughout his season-ending information convention. “I didn’t quite know to what level.”
At the time, Harrison remained staunch in his perception that Dallas has the makings of a successful team regardless of the commerce and fan backlash.
“We feel that’s a championship-caliber team and we would have been winning at a high level and that would have quieted some of the outrage,” Harrison stated, including that being wholesome is the solely factor maintaining the team from difficult for a title. “And so unfortunately we weren’t able to do that, so it just continued to go on and on.”
But how the franchise dealt with the Dončić commerce and its instant aftermath sealed Harrison’s destiny in the minds of many Mavs fans.
One of the issues that notably irked fans was a report after the commerce that slammed Dončić’s conditioning, with ESPN citing sources inside the franchise revealing frustration along with his food regimen. The remedy of a participant who was extensively revered as an icon in Dallas, particularly lower than a yr after an NBA Finals look, went over like a ton of bricks.
“Everyone wants to point at Luka’s flaws, at least for a half-second,” Mavs fan Matthew Slovak instructed NCS. “The overwhelming narrative is that this is the most ridiculous thing ever, but there was that, ‘Yeah, but.’ There is no ‘yeah, but.’ – this is the most indefensible trade of all time.”
In his letter, Dumont emphasised that he understood the frustrations of the fans.
“I understand the profound impact these difficult last several months have had. Please know that I’m fully committed to the success of the Mavericks,” he wrote.
“Thank you for your support, thank you for holding us accountable, and thank you for your passion and for your patience. You deserve transparency and a team that reflects your spirit. Our goal is to return winning basketball to Dallas and win championships. Our family is committed to that mission and to continuing to invest in Dallas and the Mavericks’ future.”
NCS’s Ben Morse and Andy Scholes contributed to this report.