Nico Harrison, Dallas Mavericks General Manager | Image by Dallas Mavericks/web press release
The Dallas Mavericks are expected to fire General Manager Nico Harrison during a Tuesday morning meeting, according to multiple reports from NBA insiders Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon.
This decision to move on from Harrison comes as the Mavericks have begun the season with a record of just 3-8, with the vibes seemingly at an all-time low while the team struggles to collect wins.
Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont and team leaders are scheduled to meet at 10:30 a.m. CT to appoint Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi to lead basketball operations on an interim basis, sources tell Charania and Tim MacMahon.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, NBA Insider Marc Stein said over the weekend that the Mavericks were already considering a change, but another loss Monday night to the Milwaukee Bucks appeared to be the tipping point.
Stein wrote that the move would be made to “win back fans who have bailed on the organization” and reset the “vibe” surrounding the team after a disastrous start to the season.
During his five years in Dallas, Harrison compiled a record of 182–157 as general manager. However, his tenure will be defined by one major move — trading away Luka Dončić just one season after the Mavericks reached the NBA Finals.
This trade likely played a major role in the Mavericks’ decision to move on from Harrison, with Stein reporting that the decision is also “based on the premise that the front office executive who conceived and pushed for the widely criticized Dončić deal can no longer be the one trying to pilot the organization past it.”
At the time, Harrisonheralded the trade as a win-now move that would help the franchise compete for a title despite an appearance in the NBA Finals just one season earlier with Doncic at the helm.
Harrison consistently preached how “defense wins championships” in the NBA, though his theory did not come to pass as the Mavericks missed the playoffs during the 2024-25 season and are currently on track to miss the postseason for a second consecutive year.
As previouslyreported byDX, many fans began to depart from the organization following the trade, as many viewed the decision as a betrayal of one of the best Mavericks players in franchise history.
Fans quickly began to fill American Airlines Center and many other parts of Dallas with “Fire Nico” chants to promote this exact decision by the franchise.
Whenasked about these chants, Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd struggled to defend Harrison, saying that fans “have a right to vent” when upset with the direction of the franchise.
“This is a different team, this is a new team. We’re just getting to understand each other, we’re gonna keep learning each other. I would say be patient, but I understand the frustration, we all want to win. We all want to compete at a high level. This is a game of expression, and the fans have a right to express themselves,” he said, per Noah Weber.
Notably, the Mavericks have also seen a striking decrease in attendance during home games this season, with the team recently ending its 24-year sellout streak, according to Brad Townsend.
Last season, the lowest attendance mark recorded by the team was 19,241 during a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 9, but four games have already dipped below that mark to begin the current regular season.
Prior to this streak ending, the Mavericks held the longest activerecord in the NBA for consecutive sellouts that began during the 2001-2002 regular season.
The Mavericks are expected to finalize front-office changes during Tuesday morning’s meeting.