Nine months after one of the most controversial trades in franchise history, Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison finds himself in the crosshairs. The Mavericks’ season has spiraled out of control, and league insiders are beginning to question whether Harrison’s job is safe.
The Mavericks, once an offensive powerhouse built around Luka Doncic, are now 2–7, sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference standings with the worst offensive rating in the NBA (103.2). The team’s lack of shot creation, floor spacing, and overall identity has raised questions about the direction Harrison chose after trading away Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last February.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon addressed the growing tension around the Mavericks’ front office, saying on his Howdy Partners podcast:
“I don’t have a firm answer for you right now, but it is absolutely a legitimate question. When you talk to people around the league about the Mavericks, it’s the first question that people are asking.”
That question: Is Nico Harrison’s job in jeopardy?
Harrison has faced relentless criticism since orchestrating the Doncic trade, a decision that, at the time, was defended as a ‘cultural reset.’ The Mavericks cited concerns over Doncic’s availability, conditioning, and leadership fit. But the trade has since backfired spectacularly. Doncic is averaging 40.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 9.2 assists with the Lakers, who are 7–2 and boasting a top-10 offense. Meanwhile, Dallas has crumbled into disarray.
The roster Harrison constructed around Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, and rookie Cooper Flagg looks imbalanced and ill-fitting. Davis, battling a calf strain, has already missed several games. Kyrie remains sidelined with a torn ACL that was known long before the season began. Thompson, once one of the league’s elite shooters, is averaging 7.6 points per game on 31.6% shooting, including a scoreless night against Memphis.
Even worse, Dallas’ offensive structure feels nonexistent. They rank 29th in three-point percentage (30.7%) and have scored over 110 points just once this season. Former franchise icon Dirk Nowitzki, speaking on NBA on Prime, called the Mavericks’ start ‘disastrous’ and their offense ‘ough to watch.’
Part of the blame falls on injuries, but much of it stems from Harrison’s offseason decisions. He built a frontcourt-heavy roster that lacks reliable guards, leaving 18-year-old Cooper Flagg to act as a point forward far earlier than expected. While Flagg has shown flashes, 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists per game, the burden has been unfair. Veteran guard D’Angelo Russell, brought in as a stopgap, has been inconsistent, averaging 12.6 points on 38.9% shooting.
Behind the scenes, league sources say Harrison’s relationship with team governor Patrick Dumont has cooled. While Dumont approved the Doncic trade, effectively betting the franchise’s future on a ‘team-first’ rebuild, the early results have been disastrous. The Mavericks went from a 2024 Finals contender to a lottery-caliber team in less than a year.
If Dallas’ skid continues, ownership may be forced to make a statement move. Whether that means firing Harrison or reshuffling the front office remains to be seen, but the whispers are growing louder.
Even the Mavericks’ brief silver lining, landing the No. 1 overall pick and drafting Cooper Flagg, may not be enough to buy Harrison time.
With fan patience wearing thin and Luka Doncic thriving in Los Angeles, the Mavericks are staring down an uncomfortable reality: the rebuild that was supposed to secure their future has instead left them adrift.
If results don’t improve soon, Nico Harrison could be the next casualty of the Mavericks’ post-Doncic fallout, a reminder that in the NBA, one wrong move can unravel a decade’s worth of progress.
