Why Nico Harrison’s firing is viewed as inevitable in NBA circles – The New York Times

NBA
Nico Harrison
Fired
Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, shown here in the preseason, is on the hot seat less than a year after the Luka Dončić trade. Jerome Miron / Imagn Images
Editor’s note: The Dallas Mavericks fired Nico Harrison on Nov. 11, 2025, nine months after the Luka Dončić trade.
DALLAS — Shortly after Dallas Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont took his courtside seat in the third quarter of Monday’s game at American Airlines Center, a teenager wearing Luka Dončić’s gold Los Angeles Lakers jersey plopped down next to him.
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Nicholas Dickason, an 18-year-old Dallasite whose family owns season tickets four rows behind where Dumont sits, wanted to apologize. In the Mavericks’ blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs on opening night in October, Dickason — still stung from the Mavericks’ decision to trade Dončić in February — shouted four-letter words at Dumont and gave him the finger.
The more Dickason thought about what he did, the worse he felt. So at his father’s urging, Dickason approached Dumont to apologize on Monday. But Dumont acknowledged a mistake as well.
“Basically Patrick was like, he feels horrible for the trade. And wants to make it up to us,” Dickason told The Athletic. “That’s basically what he said. He accepted my apology for it as well.”
Mavs governor Patrick Dumont and a fan in a Luka Lakers jersey pic.twitter.com/YzzYJ1Qv6P
— Christian Clark (@christianpclark) November 11, 2025

That revelation from Dickason’s 10-minute conversation with Dumont isn’t the only signal that the Mavericks’ chief decision-maker has some regrets about the way the franchise went about dealing Dončić. Over the weekend, reports surfaced that general manager Nico Harrison’s seat was warming. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said, “It is a matter of when, not if, Nico Harrison will be fired.” Indeed, according to multiple league sources with knowledge of the situation, Harrison’s dismissal is viewed as an inevitability. The Mavericks, in their current form, are broken and can’t be fixed without changes. As one high-level league source told The Athletic, “You can’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”
Harrison’s decision to trade Dončić, which Dumont signed off on, unleashed a tsunami of fan anger. Fans called for Harrison’s dismissal with “Fire Nico” chants throughout the final three months of last season, and they haven’t let up this year. The “Fire Nico” chants resumed in the Mavericks’ Oct. 24 home loss to the Washington Wizards. Fans continued with the four-syllable chant Monday during the fourth quarter of the Mavericks’ 116-114 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
With 1.2 seconds remaining, P.J. Washington stepped to the free-throw line after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. Washington needed to make all three free throws to tie the game. He made his first shot. As he lined up his second shot, the “Fire Nico” chants burbled up. Washington missed. The chants grew louder as Washington intentionally missed his third shot. The Mavericks were unable to recover the rebound, which caused them to drop to 3-8 on the season.
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“Everybody has an opinion,” Washington said. “Everybody is entitled to that. It is what it is. At the end of the day, we have to come out and do our jobs. And that’s be professional. Play basketball. And try to win each and every night. It is what it is at this point. Just have to keep moving forward.”
The Mavericks are now 2-5 at home this season. Each of their next three games is at American Airlines Center. Dumont flew into Dallas on Monday morning and arrived at the arena roughly two hours before tipoff. He sat courtside for the first time since Dickason flipped him off on Oct. 22.
Dumont’s presence at the game underscored the more active role he seems to be taking in the franchise that his mother-in-law, Miriam Adelson, purchased in 2023 for $3.5 billion. In the past, Dumont listened to the advice his top basketball people gave him, including Harrison’s recommendation that Dallas trade Dončic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis.
Now, Dumont is involved in decisions such as when a player returns from injury. Dumont has had a personal say in the Mavericks’ decision to take a cautious approach to Davis’ return from a left calf strain, a detail ESPN was first to report. Davis has been listed as questionable before the Mavericks’ last two games before being downgraded to out just before game time. Davis has wanted to get back on the court, but the Mavericks are understandably concerned that Davis’ calf injury could lead to something worse if he doesn’t fully recover.
All of that has contributed to the fan frustration that won’t go away. No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg played the best game of his NBA career Monday, scoring 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting despite a right thumb sprain. With 29 seconds remaining, Flagg made a go-ahead basket over two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo at the rim. The crowd roared with approval over Flagg’s fearless play. Yet minutes later, the “Fire Nico” chants resumed.
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After the game, Mavericks center Daniel Gafford was asked if the “Fire Nico” chants were disheartening.
“At times, yes,” Gafford said. “But we know we have a job to do. It’s going to be a long season. Trying to win back a lot of fans. At the end of the day, we have to play the way we played in the first three quarters.
“You can’t focus on that, because it’s not going to do anything besides hold us back, honestly.”
The displeasure Mavericks fans continue to express about the Dončić trade has been impossible to ignore.
As Bucks coach Doc Rivers put it before the game, “The whole Luka thing never goes away, unfortunately. It won’t go away. That’s a rough one.”
There were many more reminders about the infamous trade on Monday, none more noticeable than Dumont seated next to a teenager who was wearing Dončić’s gold Lakers uniform.
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Christian Clark is an NBA reporter for The Athletic who is based in Dallas. Previously, he covered the New Orleans Pelicans for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Follow Christian on Twitter @christianpclark

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