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  1. FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

    The Dallas Mavericks have fired Nico Harrison, the general manager who drove the decision to trade Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, league sources said Tuesday.

    Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont signed off on firing the 52-year-old former Nike executive with two seasons remaining on his contract amid the Mavericks’ disappointing start to the season. The Mavericks are 3-8 and in 14th place in the Western Conference. Dallas ranks 29th in the NBA in scoring, unfamiliar territory for a franchise that finished in the top 10 in offense four times in six years under Dončic.

    Anthony Davis was the centerpiece of the package the Mavericks got back in the deal from the Lakers on Feb. 1. Even though Davis was six years older than Dončic at the time of the trade and had a more extensive injury history, Harrison defended his decision amid overwhelming backlash and puzzlement from Mavs fans as the deal rippled throughout the sport.

    “If you pair him with Kyrie and the rest of the guys, he fits with our time frame to win now and in the future,” Harrison said in February. “The future to me is three, four years from now. Ten years from now, I don’t know. They’ll probably bury me and J(ason Kidd) by then. Or we bury ourselves.”

    The decision to trade Dončić remains viewed as irrational and impulsive. But those who know the Mavs’ GM best paint a far different picture.

    The morning after the trade, Mavericks fans protested the decision outside the American Airlines Center, with a small group of fans holding a mock funeral. Fans inside the building called for Harrison’s firing. “Fire Nico” chants at the American Airlines Center began in February, and they kept up even after the Mavericks miraculously won the NBA draft lottery, which allowed them to take Cooper Flagg at No. 1. There were more “Fire Nico” chants at the team draft party in June.

    The Mavericks’ loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday was a tipping point. Fans continued their “Fire Nico” chants during the fourth quarter, even as P.J. Washington was at the free-throw line with 1.2 seconds left with a chance to tie the game. Washington missed his second free throw, and Dallas lost. By Tuesday morning, word began to circulate that Harrison would be terminated.

    Dallas fans have chanted “Fire Nico” since the Luka Dončić trade in February. They may soon get their wish, according to league sources.

    Back in February, at the time of the Dončić trade, Davis was recovering from an abdominal strain. In his first game with the team on Feb. 8, he suffered a left adductor strain, which kept him out for six weeks. Roughly three weeks later, Kyrie Irving tore the ACL in his left knee, which left the Mavericks without a reliable shot-creating guard.

    In July, the Mavericks signed D’Angelo Russell as a stopgap solution in the backcourt. Harrison seemed happy with the signing, telling Russell, “I like you with a chip on your shoulder” in a video Russell released on his YouTube channel. However, Harrison and coach Jason Kidd had different opinions about how much Russell could impact games. Kidd brought Russell off the bench in Dallas’ first eight games of the season. The Mavericks only turned to Russell to be a starter after suffering a home loss to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 5 that dropped them to 2-6.

    Making matters worse for Dallas, Davis has been sidelined since Oct. 29, when he suffered a left calf strain in a game against the Indiana Pacers. Davis’ injury occurred after he reported to Mavericks training camp at 268 pounds, according to Dallas’ training camp roster, 15 pounds heavier than his listed weight last season. That was an ironic twist, considering the Mavericks traded Dončic while he was recovering from a left calf strain he suffered on Dec. 25, the last time he ever wore a Dallas uniform.

    Harrison leaves Dallas in a tricky place. The Mavericks have a tentpole player in Flagg but don’t control any of their own first-round picks from 2027 to 2030, the result of trades Harrison made to strengthen the roster around Dončic.

    Those moves worked. The Mavericks had all the makings of a contender after reaching the NBA Finals in 2024. However, Harrison upended everything by trading the person who was most essential to the team’s championship pursuit.

  2. Surprise Factor: Zero. The fans were never going to forgive him, not unless they started on a 10 game winning streak. Cooper is going to be a major talent but this season is all about growing pains out of a, for them, painful transition.

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