Back in June of 2021, the Dallas Mavericks named Nico Harrison their general manager.
On Tuesday, following a disappointing loss to the Milwaukee Bucks that dropped the Mavericks to 3-8, owner Patrick Dumont made the decision to fire Harrison.
This move comes roughly nine months after Harrison executed the shocking trade sending Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and draft compensation.
The trade was met with immense backlash. Doncic is now playing like an MVP candidate with the Lakers, sitting at 8-3, while Davis has seemingly missed more games than he’s played since joining the Mavericks. The “Fire Nico” chants from Mavericks fans have not subsided, as many still criticize Harrison for dealing Doncic so unexpectedly prior to last year’s trade deadline.
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Shortly after the news was made public, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reacted live on “First Take,” sharing his opinion on the Mavericks’ decision to part ways with Harrison and highlighting the Luka Doncic trade as the final straw in the general manager role.
“Sorry for Nico Harrison, good dude, but at the end of the day you traded Luka Doncic,” Smith said. “And if you traded Luka Doncic, you can’t be 3-8 on the season, with Anthony Davis already missing three games and having minimal impact on the success of the Dallas Mavericks… while Luka Doncic is averaging 40 and is a leading candidate along with Victor Wembanyama for league MVP honors.
“The trade is looking worse and worse right now… it’s forgivable in a lot of people’s eyes, and that’s why Nico Harrison is gone. The Lakers are winning basketball games without LeBron James… with Luka carrying them, and that could’ve been Dallas. You’re damn right they’re making this move.”
Smith didn’t hold back on criticizing the Mavericks’ ownership either, citing them as largely to blame for the Luka Doncic trade. He stated that if Mark Cuban were still in his previous role, the move likely never would have happened.
“And by the way, let’s not absolve the ownership, because if Mark Cuban were there, that would’ve never happened… Mark Cuban has repeatedly stated he would’ve never traded Luka Doncic,” Smith said. “So Mavs ownership is the one to blame for letting it happen because they didn’t want to pay him that supermax contract. But in the end, owners don’t fire themselves—they find someone to blame.”
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