It had been a long few months for Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison since he orchestrated possibly the most shocking trade in NBA history. In a deal so bizarre people thought NBA insiders had been hacked, Harrison sent Mavs superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a package headlined by Anthony Davis.
Unsurprisingly, fans revolted, calling for Harrison’s job and protesting against the team.
But the Mavericks, and especially Harrison, saw their fortunes turn on a dime when they overcame minuscule odds and won the NBA draft lottery, and thus, the right to draft Duke’s Cooper Flagg with the first pick in the coming NBA draft.
On Wednesday night, Harrison and the Mavs finally made the move official.
While it was widely known that the Mavs intended to take Flagg with the pick, given Harrison’s recent history of out-of-nowhere, unbelievable trade decisions, fans were not shy about joking that he might be tempted to make another shocking move.
Now that the pick is in and Flagg is a Maverick, Harrison is hoping that the hate he gets from Dallas fans eases up a bit.
"I’m hoping so," he said. "I’m assuming so a little bit, maybe."
Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison is “hoping” and “assuming” that some of the public backlash directed towards him will subside now. pic.twitter.com/HZ0uzlr1ug
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) June 26, 2025
As of Wednesday night, Harrison was still receiving plenty of criticism, with fans at the Mavericks watch party in Dallas resurfacing the “Fire Nico” chants that echoed across the city earlier this year.
Drafting Flagg was undoubtedly a step in the right direction for Harrison as he looks to rehabilitate his reputation amongst Mavs fans, but the biggest test will come at the start of the regular season. Winning games solves a lot of problems.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nico Harrison Hopes Mavs Fans Go Easier on Him After Cooper Flagg Pick.
