Dallas Mavericks fans were finally given a reason to smile amid this wretched start to the 2025-26 season, as general manager and president of basketball operations Nico Harrison was fired on Tuesday. Harrison had become public enemy No. 1 in Dallas ever since he traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2025, and his departure was met with jubilation.
As for Harrison’s thoughts on his firing, we might have to wait a while to hear that. The only thing we have gotten out of the 52-year-old so far is a change to his Instagram bio. Harrison changed it from “GM of the Dallas Mavericks” to “Girl dad. Unemployed.”
Nico updated his bio 😅
(h/t @pickuphoop ) pic.twitter.com/LiIbQg5SmU
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 11, 2025
That is hilarious in a way. You doubt Harrison is going to get another job in the NBA anytime soon, considering all the bad decisions he made. This Doncic trade, in particular, is turning out to be the biggest mistake in NBA history.
Harrison was of the belief that trading away a generational talent in Doncic, who was entering his prime, for an injury-prone Anthony Davis in his 30s gave the Mavericks a better chance of winning the championship. This was despite the Slovenian taking the team to the NBA Finals in 2024.
Harrison boldly stated, “Defense wins championships,” after trading Doncic. Then, a few months later, at a private media session in April, he made it clear he had no regrets about the trade. He might never admit it, but he probably would still have the job today if he hadn’t made that move.
Any and all concerns that were raised after the Mavericks made the trade have come true. For starters, you wondered whether all the shade the organization threw at Doncic in terms of his weight, his conditioning, and his not playing defense would light a fire under him. He hasn’t said it out loud, but it might well have.
Doncic underwent a physical transformation in the offseason and now looks to be in the best shape he has been in for years. He’s averaging 37.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2025-26.
Secondly, you wondered if the injury bug would bite Davis, and it has. The 10-time All-Star got injured on his Mavericks debut and only ended up playing nine games for them last season. He then played the first five games of this season but has missed six in a row since due to a left calf strain.
Yes, there was a stretch of about a season and a half before the trade when Davis stayed healthy for the Lakers, but the chances of that lasting much longer always seemed slim. If there is one thing we know about injury-prone big men, it’s that they don’t get healthier in their 30s.
With Davis on the sidelines along with Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks have slumped to 3-8 this season. It was reported amid this poor start that Harrison could be gone by midseason, but Governor Patrick Dumont didn’t wait that long. He was given his marching orders, and it will be interesting to see what he does next.
While a job in the NBA might not be on the cards, it’s important to keep in mind that Harrison had a long and successful stint with Nike. He joined the company in 2002 and became Vice President of North American basketball operations in 2015.
Harrison left that job with Nike to take over as the general manager of the Mavericks in 2021. Perhaps we’ll see him return to the sneaker giant at some point.
As for his replacement on the Mavericks, assistant general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi have been promoted on an interim basis.
