The Dallas Mavericks hit the reset button on Monday, and it wasn’t exactly subtle. Owner Patrick Dumont showed Nico Harrison the door after the team stumbled to a dismal 3-8 start. The writing had been on the wall for a while now.
Harrison’s tenure never really recovered from the Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers before February’s deadline. That deal went down as one of the most catastrophic moves in recent NBA memory.
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MORE: NBA insider reveals Nico Harrison pushed for Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks trade
With Harrison gone, everyone’s asking the same question: what happens to Anthony Davis now?
Tim MacMahon of ESPN notes that many in the NBA believe trading Davis is the best path for the team to fully build around rookie forward Cooper Flagg, something unlikely under Harrison’s leadership.
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“The biggest question regarding Davis at this point is not about when he will return from his calf strain. It’s about whether the organization will consider exploring the trade market for the 32-year-old big man, which would never have been a remote possibility with Harrison running basketball operations,” MacMahon wrote. “It’s a path that several executives and scouts from other franchises believe would be logical for the Mavs as Dallas pivots to prioritize building around Flagg.”
FAQ on ESPN on Nico Harrison’s firing and what’s next for a Mavericks franchise that has endured nine months of misery since the disastrous Luka Doncic deal: https://t.co/psrPY3y4VL
— Tim MacMahon (@BannedMacMahon) November 11, 2025
The math here gets ugly fast. Dallas mortgaged their future by shipping out first-round picks from 2027 through 2030 when they were trying to build around Doncic. Now those picks are gone, Doncic is gone, and they’re left holding a bag full of uncertainty with Davis.
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Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison looks on before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickie’s Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Trading Davis won’t be simple either. His injury history scares teams off, even though he’s still exceptional when he’s actually on the court. MacMahon emphasized that Dallas needs to test the waters in the coming months.
Harrison’s original vision of a three- to four-year championship window? That ship has sailed, and it’s not coming back to port anytime soon.
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