The Dallas Mavericks have fired general manager Nico Harrison, the team’s governor, Patrick Dumont, has confirmed.
“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,” Dumont said in a statement.
His exit comes nine months after Harrison sent five-time first-team All-NBA selection Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade. It also comes one day after Dumont, an owner of the Mavs and the team’s representative on the NBA’s board of governors, was seen talking to a fan who was wearing a Lakers Dončić jersey during Monday’s 116-114 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Fire Nico!” chants were audible during the fourth-quarter of the game, in which Dallas squandered a 13-point lead.
Harrison, 52, accepted responsibility for the trade and defended the move by claiming there were concerns over Dončić’s physique and commitment to conditioning.
“I did know that Luka was important to the fanbase. I didn’t quite know it to what level,” Harrison said in explaining the move, comments which themselves drew widespread criticism from fans and NBA commentators alike.
In a letter to fans on Tuesday, Dumont did not directly address the Dončić trade, but did allude to it. “I understand the profound impact these difficult last several months have had,” Dumont’s letter said. “Please know that I’m fully committed to the success of the Mavericks. ... Our goal is to return winning basketball to Dallas and win championships.”
The deal has by and large has not worked out for the Mavericks. Anthony Davis, who was the key cog in return from the Lakers, was sidelined for six weeks after sustaining an adductor strain in his Dallas debut. Davis currently is out with a calf strain for the Mavericks, who have limped out of the blocks to a 3-8 record this season.
Dončić, meanwhile, has continued to be one of the best players in the NBA with the Lakers. He is now averaging just over 37 points and nine assists per game this season, with the Lakers owning an 8-3 record as one of the better teams in the Western Conference through the early part of the season.
Dallas’s drop in form after the Dončić deal did enable them to win the top overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which they used to select Cooper Flagg. In Monday’s loss to the Bucks, Flagg scored a career-high 26 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
ESPN reports that Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, both assistant general managers, will be leading the Mavericks’ basketball operations on an interim basis.
