The Dallas Mavericks have fired general manager Nico Harrison nine months after he made a trade that roiled the franchise and shocked the NBA, the team announced Tuesday.
Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi will serve as co-interim general managers to oversee basketball operations.
“This decision reflects our continued commitment to building a championship-caliber organization, one that delivers for our players, our partners, and most importantly, our fans,” Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont said in a statement.
Harrison, 52, was hired as the Mavericks’ general manager and president of basketball operations in June 2021. Dallas made it to the conference finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2024, when they lost to the Boston Celtics.
But in February, Harrison traded Luka Doncic, then only 25, to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick. The trade was widely criticized, as Doncic was selected to five straight All-Star and All-NBA First Teams from 2020 through 2024.
“I believe that defense wins championships,” Harrison told ESPN in February about his reasoning for trading away a player viewed as a generational superstar. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”
While the Mavericks entered Tuesday ranked third in the NBA defensively, their 3-8 record is fifth-worst in the league. No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg — who the team selected after missing the playoffs last season and winning the draft lottery — has struggled. So has Davis, who is currently averaging his lowest points per game since 2014.
Harrison has had to endure “Fire Nico” chants at home games as Dallas has struggled, and even Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont has been booed. The frustration is a continuation of what happened in the immediate aftermath in the trade, when fans were canceling subscriptions to the team streaming service en masse or being kicked out of games for bringing “Fire Nico” signs.
“The vibes are not good,” Josh Bowe, a podcaster and writer who grew up in the Dallas area and has been covering the team since 2009, told NBC News earlier this year. “And I think what’s happening is there’s a potential for a generational loss of fans. I’ve seen plenty of fans say that they don’t really want to watch the team anymore. I feel like we’ll be studying the effects or the impact of this for years.”
Doncic, meanwhile, is averaging 37.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game for the Lakers. Los Angeles is 8-3 and in fourth place in the Western Conference, and LeBron James has yet to play a game.
