Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is expected to be fired Tuesday morning during a 10 a.m. CT meeting scheduled with team governor Patrick Dumont, sources told ESPN.
Assistant general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi are being promoted to lead the Mavs’ basketball operations department on an interim basis, sources added.
Harrison has been under fire from Mavericks fans since he stunningly traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 2, months removed from the then-25-year-old five-time first-team All-NBA selection leading the franchise to an NBA Finals appearance.
That trade, in which Dallas received Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick in return, prompted fan protests outside the American Airlines Center on the night of the deal and before the team’s next home game. That angst never dissipated, as “Fire Nico!” chants have frequently been heard since at the team’s home games, including Monday night’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Dumont sat courtside during Tuesday’s game, the first he has attended since the season-opening blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavs blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter to fall to 3-8, second to last place in the Western Conference.
Dumont, whose family bought the majority share of the franchise from Mark Cuban in December 2023, signed off on the trade after Harrison convinced him that signing Doncic to a supermax contract extension would be a poor investment due to the then-injured superstar’s persistent conditioning concerns. Dumont has since privately admitted remorse about the deal.
Dallas had a 182-157 record during Harrison’s four-plus-year tenure, which was highlighted by runs to the 2022 Western Conference finals and 2024 NBA Finals. The Mavs were 135-88 in regular-season games in which Doncic played during that time and 47-69 otherwise.
In the immediate aftermath of the trade, Harrison said that the deal improved the Mavs’ odds to win a championship, stating that the franchise would have a three- to four-year window to contend.
“Defense wins championships,” Harrison said, a phrase he repeated again multiple times in media availabilities at and near the end of last season to justify the deal.
Davis, a 10-time All-Star who was sidelined with an abdominal injury at the time of the injury, has played in only 14 regular-season games plus a couple of play-in appearances for the Mavericks.
With Harrison under fire, Davis rushed back to play in the Mavs’ Feb. 8 game against the Houston Rockets, the first home game after the trade. He had a dominant first half but sustained an adductor strain – an aggravation of his abdominal injury – in the third quarter that sidelined him for the next six weeks.
Davis has missed the last six games due to a left calf strain, five of which the Mavs lost. Sources said that Davis wanted to return over the weekend, but Dumont sided with members of the Mavs’ medical staff who were adamant that Davis should err on the side of caution.
Dallas star guard Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACLin early March that ended his season, and there is not a set timetable for his return this season.
The injury-ravaged Mavs tumbled out of the playoff picture after the trade, getting eliminated by the Memphis Grizzlies in the final Western Conference play-in game. An incredible stroke of luck in the NBA draft lottery, cashing in 1.8% odds to claim the No. 1 overall pick and right to draft Cooper Flagg, provided some hope for the franchise’s future.
However, Dallas’ poor start and the fans’ relentless angst ultimately sealed Harrison’s fate.
By ESPN
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