After a major front-office shake-up in Dallas, former Mavericks GM Nico Harrison made a quiet but telling update that quickly caught fans’ attention
19:42 ET, 11 Nov 2025
Harrison pitched the idea to trade Doncic, according to ESPN's Shams Charania
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Nico Harrison pitched the idea to trade Doncic, according to ESPN's Shams Charania(Image: Getty)
The Dallas Mavericks’ front-office overhaul came swiftly and decisively. On Tuesday, the franchise announced it had fired general manager Nico Harrison following a disappointing 3–8 start to the 2025–26 season, a sluggish opening that compounded months of frustration stemming from the Luka Doncic trade.
Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont, who had three major reasons for firing Harrison, named Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi as co-interim general managers, pledging in a statement to fans that the organization would “refocus on competitiveness and accountability.”
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Harrison’s dismissal marked a sharp turn for a franchise that had reached the NBA Finals just two seasons earlier, before Harrison followed up the Doncic trade with an odd press conference that left fans wondering if his quotes were even real.
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The firing also signaled the end of one of the league’s most polarizing front-office tenures, defined by a single, franchise-altering gamble. On February 2, Harrison stunned the basketball world by trading the five-time All-NBA guard Doncic, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In return, the Mavericks received Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a future first-round pick in a star-for-star swap rarely seen in modern NBA history.
Hours after his firing became official, Harrison broke his silence not through a statement or press conference but through a simple edit to his Instagram bio. The line now reads: “girl dad / unemployed.”
Harrison quickly updated his Instagram bio after his Mavericks exit
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Harrison quickly updated his Instagram bio after his Mavericks exit(Image: Instagram)
The Doncic trade remains the defining moment of Harrison’s tenure, and the one that ultimately shaped his downfall. The deal was bold, risky, and, in hindsight, costly.
In Los Angeles, Doncic has immediately transformed the Lakers into title contenders. He signed a three-year, $165 million extension in the offseason and opened this year averaging over 37 points per game, putting himself squarely in the MVP conversation while leading the Lakers to one of the best records in the Western Conference.
Dallas, by contrast, has struggled to find its footing. Anthony Davis’ recurring injuries have limited his impact, while rookie forward Cooper Flagg has shown flashes of promise but remains a work in progress.
The Mavericks drafted Cooper Flagg with the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft
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The Mavericks drafted Cooper Flagg with the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft(Image: Getty)
The Mavericks’ offense, once a hallmark of the Doncic era, has sputtered, ranking near the bottom of the league in efficiency.
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“Fire Nico” chants echoed through the American Airlines Center in recent weeks as the frustration boiled over, with attendance dipping and fan sentiment growing increasingly sour.
Harrison’s body of work in Dallas wasn’t without achievements. He was hired in 2021 after a long career at Nike and helped build a roster that reached the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2024.
Yet in the NBA, reputations are often cemented by singular decisions. Harrison’s gamble to reshape the Mavericks around size, defense, and versatility, rather than Doncic’s generational offense, didn’t deliver the intended results.