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Tim McMahon
The chant that had become so painfully familiar at American Airlines Center since that shocking night in early February echoed once again in the final minutes. dallas mavericks‘Grieving people suffered domestic damage on October 24 washington wizards,
“Fire Nico! Fire Nico! Fire Nico!”
Mavericks fans have been calling for the firing of general manager Nico Harrison since the moment they were traded luka doncic – a then-25-year-old, homegrown five-time first-team All-NBA selection and an NBA Finals appearance – for Los Angeles Lakers early morning of 2 February,
At this particular moment, Doncic was in the midst of scoring 23 points in the first quarter on his new home court in downtown Los Angeles. He finished with 49 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in the Lakers’ win that night, a stark contrast to the Mavs’ miserable night.
According to sources, the first few weeks of the season ultimately sealed the fate of Harrison, who was fired on Tuesday morning in a meeting with team governor Patrick Dumont, who appeared to regret approving Harrison’s plan to dump Doncic. deal sent anthony davis, max christie And officials around the league considered returning the 2029 first-round pick to Dallas extremely weak For a perennial MVP candidate who is just entering his prime.
“Time will tell whether I’m right or not,” Harrison said the day after the trade. After nine months, time is up On Harrison.
The Mavs have one of the NBA’s worst offenses and are in bottom place in the Western Conference, just ahead of second. New Orleans PelicansDoncic shined for the 8-3 Lakers with a 3-8 record, leading the league with 37.1 points per game, along with averaging 9.4 rebounds and 9.1 assists. Davis, meanwhile, has only played 14 regular season games for the Mavs, missing most of last season due to an abdominal injury.
Doncic’s absence looms over the franchise, even after the historic blow of lottery pick fate awarded the first overall pick — the prized prospect cooper flag –To Dallas. At the beginning of the second part it was surrounded by a surreal scene Damage in the house on Monday night till milwaukee bucksDavis missed his sixth consecutive game with a left calf strain.
Dumont, appearing in his first game since a season-opening loss San Antonio SpursEngaged in cordial conversation with an 18-year-old man who was wearing Doncic’s gold No. 77 Lakers jersey.
The fan, whose family has season tickets a few rows behind Dumont’s courtside seats, told reporters that he had contacted Dumont at his father’s insistence and apologized for insulting and cursing at him late in the season-opening loss on October 22. Dumont, The fan told The AthleticDoncic expressed regret for the trade.
Meanwhile, many empty seats around the arena had placards bearing Davis’s photo. “make some noise!” Read the signs.
The fans chanted, “Fire Nico!” Chant the mantra repeatedly in the fourth trimester.
Why did the Mavs fire Harrison now? Would they want to trade Davis? Here’s everything we know about the developing situation in Dallas.
Why fire Harrison now?
The situation in Dallas had reached the point of becoming untenable. Dumont had lost confidence in Harrison, as evidenced by the Governor’s involvement in the decision to hold off on Davis’ return over the weekend, in favor of the Mavs medical staff’s desire not to risk aggravating his calf injury. The uncertainty hanging over Harrison’s head was like a dark cloud hanging over the entire organization.
“It’s just a matter of time,” a league source told ESPN on Monday afternoon, hours before the Mavs blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter with another loss.
Dumont decided overnight that there was no logical reason to wait. The franchise now needs to move forward.
Dumont explained the move in a letter to the team’s fans on Tuesday.
“I understand that these difficult months have had a deep impact on these past several months,” Dumont’s letter said. “Please know that I am fully committed to the success of the Mavericks. … Our goal is to return winning basketball to Dallas and win championships.”
Patrick Dumont said in a letter to fans: “I understand that these difficult months have had a deep impact on the past several months. Please know that I am fully committed to the success of the Mavericks.” pic.twitter.com/MjqModl5QG
– Tim McMahon (@BannedMacMahon) 11 November 2025
What’s the most striking thing about the Mavs’ terrible start?
Aside from the constant negativity that has engulfed the franchise? This is a terrible offense, with a huge void in shot creation and playmaking.
“There’s a Luka-sized hole on that roster,” said an executive with a Western Conference team.
Dallas dropped to last place in the league’s offensive efficiency rankings over the weekend. Mavs now ahead of injury-plagued team Indiana PacersOnly 104.2 points were scored per 100 possessions.
Kidd started the flag at point guard in the first seven games of the season before discontinuing that experiment, a position the 18-year-old had never played before at any level. veteran traveler D’Angelo RussellSigned this summer as a stopgap fill-in for the injured star kyrie irvingHe had an unsuccessful three-game stint as a starter before leaving with Kidd. brandon williams Monday night.
A scout for an Eastern Conference team said, “There’s no point guard. You don’t have any floor leaders.” “That’s the first problem. Then you’re trying to make a point guard out of a guy who’s not a point guard.
“The coach doesn’t trust the guy you signed this summer. That’s obvious. They don’t trust him enough to make him a floor leader, and that’s consistent with the consensus around the league. They don’t have the shooting, and they don’t have the creation. You need those things to be a good offensive team.”
Dallas ranked last in the league in 3-pointers made (9.6 per game) and 3-point percentage (29.5%). The Mavs rank 27th in assists (27.7 per game). These shortcomings were predictable, given how heavily their roster construction is skewed toward frontcourt players.
An executive with an Eastern Conference team said, “Remarkable that Nico didn’t find a good enough guard this summer to help them win some games.” “That was very low hanging fruit.”
What’s the atmosphere like inside the locker room?
The atmosphere at American Airlines Center was so bad that the Mavs accepted home court. Loss,
According to a team source, one player lamented, “These people don’t want us to win.”
The Mavs’ hectic home schedule has made maintaining good morale even more difficult. Dallas is 2–5 at home, and although there has been no friction among the players, maintaining good morale has become difficult as the losses mount.
“To me, this is the biggest loss we’ve ever had, you know, I think, ever,” Flagg said sadly after a November 5 home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, which temporarily dropped Dallas to last place in the West.
Center Daniel Gafford Admitted after Monday night’s loss that “at times” the fans’ constant focus on Harrison being fired was frustrating for the players.
“But we all know we have a job to do,” Gafford said. “At the end of the day, it’s going to be a long season trying to win back a lot of fans.”
What’s next with Anthony Davis?
The biggest question regarding Davis right now isn’t when he’ll return from his calf strain. It’s about whether the organization would consider exploring the trade market for the 32-year-old big man, which was never even remotely a possibility with Harrison’s basketball operations.
It’s a path that many executives and scouts from other franchises believe would make sense for the Mavs as Dallas has insisted on prioritizing building around Flagg. The Mavs have inherent challenges in that mission due to giving up control of their first-round picks in trades made from 2027 to 2030. successfully Building a contender around Doncic.
,You have the flag, but you’re old and you don’t have your choice,, said one Western decision-maker. ,[They have to] Be comfortable taking two steps back if it’s necessary. Be patient. They’re going to have to lose this year, but I don’t think Dumont will be comfortable taking a step back. As a new owner it’s not natural.”
It is uncertain what the trade market will be for Davis due to his durability issues, although even when healthy he is a dominant force on both ends of the floor. Multiple league sources were adamant that Dallas will have to do its due diligence in assessing the market in the coming months, as it became clear that Harrison’s hopes of three to four years of contention would not be realized.
“You don’t go on two timelines anymore,” said a West executive. “You say, ‘We’ll take what we can get [for Davis]At this point, I’m not sure what they might find.”
What’s next for the Mavs front office?
Assistant general managers Michael Finley and Matt Ricciardi have been promoted to run the franchise’s basketball operations department on an interim basis.
Minority owner Mark Cuban, who misjudged that he would continue to run the team’s basketball operations department when he sold a majority stake in the franchise to the Adelson and Dumont families in December 2023, has laid out a plan for the future of the front office. According to sources, Cuban is expected to hire former Utah vice president and general manager Dennis Lindsay, the second-highest ranking member of the Detroit Pistons’ front office. Lindsay served as a senior advisor for the Mavs during the 2023–24 season, when he had input on personnel moves that helped build the finalist roster around Doncic.
It is not known at this point how receptive Dumont will be to Cuban’s plan, but they have been in frequent talks in recent months, a significant change after Cuban was completely cut out of basketball operations last season. Doncic surprised by dealCoach Jason Kidd received a multiyear contract extension during the preseason after Dallas refused to allow him an interview, new York Knicks In summer.
