THE MAVS FINALLY FIRE NICO HARRISON!!!
It’s official: the Dallas Mavericks are firing general manager Nico Harrison, ending one of the most chaotic and questionable front office runs in recent NBA memory, but Nico Harrison is GONE.
From the outside, the Mavs’ downfall looks like a slow-motion car crash that everyone saw coming. Inside? It’s the result of years of compounding mistakes, one after another — and now, it’s finally caught up.
Let’s rewind the tape.
Nico Harrison took over in 2021, stepping in from his role at Nike where he famously botched a pitch to sign Stephen Curry — the kind of miss that follows you. In Dallas, it didn’t get better.
He refused to give Jalen Brunson an extension (who’s now a borderline superstar in New York), traded Kristaps Porziņģis for Spencer Dinwiddie, shipped Quentin Grimes (now a 20 PPG scorer) for Caleb Martin, and of course… the trade that broke the franchise — sending Luka Dončić to the Lakers for Anthony Davis.
It’s a move that instantly backfired. Luka is averaging over 40 points per game in L.A., while the Mavericks are 2–6, sitting dead last in the Western Conference. Anthony Davis is out (again), Kyrie Irving’s future is murky, and rookie Cooper Flagg is struggling to find rhythm in the chaos.
And that chaos is everywhere. The Mavs are ice cold from three:
🧱 Cooper Flagg — 26.2% 3PT
🧱 PJ Washington — 25.5% 3PT
🧱 D’Angelo Russell — 27.8% 3PT
🧱 Klay Thompson — 26.7% 3PT
That’s not just bad — that’s historically rough.
Now, rival executives believe Dallas might be ready to hit the reset button, again. Reports say the Mavs could explore trades for both Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving before the February deadline. The 2026 NBA Draft is stacked, and Dallas might decide to pivot toward a full rebuild centered around Cooper Flagg and their (likely very high) lottery pick.
Meanwhile, around the league…
The Clippers have the worst defense in basketball when Bradley Beal is on the floor (128.5 DefRtg), compared to 113.8 when he sits. Joel Embiid avoided major knee damage and is day-to-day, Paul George is nearing his 76ers debut, and Jalen Green will miss 4–6 weeks with a hamstring strain.
And to twist the knife even deeper: the Lakers, with Luka and Austin Reaves, have posted the best offensive rating in NBA history (124.6).
The contrast couldn’t be louder. Luka’s flourishing, the Lakers are thriving, and Dallas… well, Dallas is back where they started: trying to figure out what went wrong — again.
💭 Bottom Line
The Nico Harrison experiment was supposed to blend innovation and experience. Instead, it exposed how fast a franchise can fall when ego and impatience outweigh basketball sense.
Dallas didn’t just lose Luka — they lost their direction.
