Arguably no team has undergone as much tumultuous change in nine months as the Dallas Mavericks.
In February, they made that seismic trade to ship Luka Dončić away to the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, the Mavericks are also in search of a new general manager after they fired Nico Harrison on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
In essence, by firing Harrison, the architect of that Dončić deal, the Mavs are conceding that the trade was a massive mistake. But there are still plenty of long-term ramifications to sort through, and the full effects of the last nine months won’t be clear for years to come.
Here are the winners and losers from the Mavericks’ decision to fire Harrison:
WINNERS
Luka Dončić
Although he may not say so publicly, and although he has more pressing matters to worry about, Dončić is a clear winner in all of this. Even though Dončić has appeared in just 40 games for the Lakers, and even though he hasn’t even won a single playoff series, Harrison’s firing vindicates Dončić, in a way.
Dončić is averaging an absurd 37.1 points per game this season, which leads the NBA. He has slimmed down and has landed with one of the iconic franchises, in one of the premier markets in the country, and the Lakers inked Dončić to a three-year max extension in August.
The Mavericks youth movement
Dallas, and whoever becomes the eventual general manager, has some decisions to make. Anthony Davis is 32 but often injured. Including this season, he has two more seasons left on his $175.3 million contract, with a $62.7player option for 2027-28, according to Spotrac.com. Kyrie Irving, 33, is in a similar position, though for decidedly less money.
Klay Thompson, 35, has two years left at around $17 million per year. Daniel Gafford, 27, Caleb Martin, 30, and any other pricey veterans should all be on alert as potential trade chips. With Harrison gone, the Mavericks may opt to fully reset, freeing up cap space and amassing draft picks.
Rookie Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is the future face of the franchise. The Mavericks should build around him.
Jason Kidd
To a certain extent, this remains to be seen because Kidd faces a very difficult task ahead. He’s the head coach of a Mavericks team that may offload its veterans in a rebuild, so his standing could change quickly. But Harrison’s firing showed Kidd has some goodwill remaining after he led Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals.
In a way, Harrison becomes the clear fall guy for the controversial Dončić trade, and Kidd absolves himself; his argument becomes that he simply coached the roster that was handed to him. Yet, the Mavericks are 3-8 and facing injuries. Kidd may be a candidate to move into a front office role, potentially even replacing Harrison. The path forward won’t be easy, but Kidd at least is poised to be part of the plan, as opposed to one of its victims.
Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi
Both were assistant general managers under Harrison, and now both are set to be co-interims in Harrison’s place. This allows them to distance themselves from Harrison and the Dončić mess, even though Harrison promoted them and they were undoubtedly part of the process.
It also sets them up to be considered for the job on a permanent basis.
LOSERS
Nico Harrison
It’s hard to see Harrison recovering from this. He remains relatively inexperienced, as far as NBA front office positions go; Harrison had spent 19 seasons with Nike, eventually becoming the vice president of the shoe goliath’s North American operations. Given the shock of the Dončić trade, reason stands that NBA teams will be leery of bringing on Harrison in any high-level capacity. Given the way it was negotiated, that’s even more magnified.
Harrison reportedly did not field multiple calls for Dončić’s services, opting instead to quietly negotiate with his long-time friend Rob Pelinka, the Lakers general manager. By doing that, Harrison operated from a position of little leverage and hurt the Mavericks. Because if it became widely known that Dončić was available, teams would’ve lined up with far more attractive offers.
The reality, though, is that prior to the Dončić trade, Harrison was a mostly decent general manager. He orchestrated the trade that brought Kyrie Irving at a relative bargain. He was aggressive before the February 2024 trade deadline and acquired center Daniel Gafford and perimeter specialist P.J. Washington, both of whom played key roles in pushing the Mavericks to the Finals later that season. Derek Lively was a solid draft choice in 2023.
The Mavericks
This was a team that, just a little more than two years ago, made the 2024 NBA Finals. And though the Celtics breezed through in five games, the Mavericks still had a solid, young core and appeared to be just a piece or two away from winning their second NBA championship and first since 2011.
Now, a complete rebuild is almost certain, and team ownership must be careful and calculated in the way they fill the general manager vacancy. Another misstep could set the Mavericks back to complete irrelevance – all of which brings us to the biggest losers in all of this.
Dallas fans
This is a Mavericks fanbase that is passionate and knows the game well. They’re loyal to their stars and alumni; just look at the warm reception Dirk Nowitzki gets any time he’s near the team.
They had a generational talent in Dončić. They bought his jerseys and cheered him on, and he was only 25 when the trade happened. They were on the cusp of a championship.
Now, with the Cowboys mostly cooked, their best bet for a title appears to be the NHL’s Stars.
But, at the very least, the Dallas Wings have WNBA 2025 Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers to support.
