The Dallas Mavericks have fired general manager and president of basketball operations Nico Harrison, just nine months after a stunning trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers and sent shockwaves through the NBA.
The team announced Tuesday that Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi will serve as co-interim general managers and oversee basketball operations while the franchise searches for a permanent replacement.
“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 in June 2021 and helped guide Dallas to the Western Conference finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2024, where the Mavericks lost to the Boston Celtics. His tenure, however, became defined by the controversial February trade that moved Dončić, then just 25, to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick.
The deal was widely panned across the league, as Dončić had been selected to five straight All-Star Games and All-NBA First Teams from 2020 to 2024 and was viewed as a generational cornerstone.
“I believe that defense wins championships,” Harrison told ESPN in February, defending the move. “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.”
On paper, the defensive bet partly paid off: entering Tuesday, Dallas ranked third in the NBA in defensive efficiency. But the results in the standings have been grim. The Mavericks’ 3–8 record is fifth-worst in the league, with No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg struggling to adjust and Davis averaging his lowest points per game since 2014.
Fan anger has been impossible to ignore. Harrison has faced “Fire Nico” chants at home games, while Dumont has also been booed. In the immediate aftermath of the Dončić trade, frustrated supporters canceled subscriptions to the team’s streaming service and some fans were ejected from the arena for displaying “Fire Nico” signs.
The Mavericks now enter a pivotal stretch: trying to salvage a season off to a poor start, develop Flagg, rehabilitate Davis’ form, and convince an increasingly restless fan base that the post-Dončić era can still produce a contender — under a new architect in the front office.
