The Dallas Mavericks are reportedly working to repair their fractured relationship with franchise icon Dirk Nowitzki, a rift that deepened during former general manager Nico Harrison’s tenure and reached its peak after the Luka Doncic trade, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
During an appearance on the Howdy Partners podcast, MacMahon noted that Nowitzki's recent appearance at Dallas's win against the Houston Rockets was a meaningful step forward.
“His presence and his willingness to be shown on the jumbotron, his son Max wearing a Cooper Flagg jersey, that was an indication of Dirk kind of starting to accept an olive branch from Patrick Dumont, because the relationship between Dirk and the franchise had completely frayed,” said MacMahon.
The tension between Nowitzki and the Mavericks developed over several years but intensified after Harrison took control of basketball operations. One of the earliest breaking points was Harrison's decision to fire Casey Smith, the team’s long-time director of health and performance, a move Nowitzki strongly opposed. The situation deteriorated further when Dallas traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2025.
“The Luka trade was the absolute last straw, but it had frayed before then, going back to when Nico Harrison fired Casey Smith, and Dirk was not gonna be any part of this franchise as long as Nico Harrison was running basketball operations. Obviously, he's not anymore. Patrick Dumont has reached out in an effort to begin repairing that relationship, and I think that Dirk is open-minded in terms of being a part of the franchise moving forward, potentially,” MacMahon added.
The Mavericks fired Harrison in November, nine months after the Doncic trade, following a poor start to the 2025–26 season. With Harrison no longer in charge, Dumont has made repairing the relationship with Nowitzki a priority.
“There have not been any kind of specific discussions about that. But I know that there's interest on the Maverick side certainly in Dirk being involved,” MacMahon further said. “They obviously recognize how important he is to the fanbase. They value everything about Dirk.”
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Nowitzki spent his entire 21-season NBA career with Dallas, establishing himself as the franchise's greatest player. He led the Mavericks to their first NBA championship in 2011. His career accomplishments feature 14 All-Star selections, 12 All-NBA honors, one MVP award, and recognition as a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.
Nowitzki averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks over 1,522 total regular-season games played. After retiring in 2019, he returned to the organization two years later as a special advisor but reportedly felt unclear about his responsibilities and gradually stepped away as Harrison's influence grew.
MacMahon made it clear that Nowitzki is not a candidate for president of basketball operations or a top executive role.
“He’s not a candidate for the president of basketball operations, let me be real clear. But I do think there is a possibility that Dirk could be in some way, shape, or form part of the front office moving forward,” he said.
With a statue of Nowitzki already standing outside the American Airlines Center, the Mavericks now appear focused on restoring his presence inside the organization, exploring ways for him to contribute to decision-making in some capacity as the team transitions into a new era built around No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.