Patrick Dumont, the Mavericks’ Governor, recently announced that the franchise had decided to part ways with its general manager, Nico Harrison, after the poor start to the season. He reportedly admitted that the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers was a “mistake.”
Among all the criticism of Harrison’s decisions and the discourse around him being made a scapegoat, one of the lingering questions was what Harrison would do next in his career. According to NBA Insider Chris Haynes, Nico Harrison has decided his next step would be to take some time off to be with his family before considering a potential return to the league.
“He’s in good spirits, man. He’s going to take some time to be with himself and his family and get away from everything,” said Haynes while describing it as a “tough situation” for him.
“I think when you look at his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks, you had some good times, definitely had some bad times. He guided the team to the NBA Finals, and they have visions of getting further than that, but ultimately, his tenure is going to be defined by the Luka Doncic trade and what he got in return, and other people will say what he didn’t get in return. So, it was a tough situation, but something we saw coming definitely over this past week or so.”
NBA fans saw this on social media and expressed their opinions about Harrison’s decision. The Mavericks fans and Lakers fans have mixed emotions about Harrison losing his job. While most Lakers fans were thanking him and claiming he needs a much-deserved break, other NBA fans ruthlessly trolled him for making his own bed with his actions.
“A legend like him deserves all the time he needs.”
“He created the tough situation lol.”
“Where is he gonna go?? Luka is an international superstar; everyone knows about this.”
“Lmfao, man traded a generational talent for absolute no reason ‘dealing with a tough situation.'”
“Imagine emotionally scarring an entire fanbase for the rest of their lives and then calling it a “tough situation” for you and your family lol. This dude is so clueless.”
“Sounding like a toxic ex when he has to break up with his girl after he’s the reason the relationship ended.”
Harrison took over as the general manager of the Mavericks in 2021. After their 2024 run to the NBA Finals, Harrison also signed a multi-year extension with the team. His overall record with the team was 182-157.
But the gut punch for the franchise has been that since Doncic was traded away from the Mavericks in February this year, they have had a record of 16-29. They’ve failed to show cohesiveness, consistency, or potential for collaboration.
It shows that while it seemed that his future was secure with the franchise, the gravity of one mistake eventually cost him his job. Even though it helped the Mavericks get Cooper Flagg with the No.1 overall pick.
The details of the extension are unknown, so we do not know how much salary he has earned over the years. However, we hope he finds his way back on his feet eventually.
