A lot can truly change in just a year. Around this time in 2024, the Dallas Mavericks had high hopes despite a bit of a slow start to the season. They were bringing back most of the 2023-24 squad that made it to the NBA Finals, and with Luka Doncic, perennial All-NBA First Teamer, leading the way, a deep postseason run seemed to be in the cards for the Mavs. But then general manager Nico Harrison decided that Doncic was not the star he wanted to build the team around.
Now, amid the Mavericks' poor play, Harrison is catching fire. According to reports, he is on the hot seat and could lose his job soon if the Mavs don't turn it around soon enough. This just adds further to the vitriol he's been receiving from the fans who are blaming him for the team's downfall.
And now, the Mavericks are resorting to some pretty drastic measures just to shield their general manager from further anger from fans.
“Portable stairs are rolled in every game via the tunnel between both benches and adjacent to the new seat location that enable Harrison to exit at any point without having to walk through sections of the crowd. It's a seat configuration that is used for hockey games at the American Airlines Center and is now being employed by the Mavericks this season,” NBA insider Marc Stein noted.
Nico Harrison preemptively ruins Mavericks' title bid
Harrison decided to trade Doncic away to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package consisting of Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick under the guise of being wary of Doncic's long-term health as well as his poor defense.
Now, the Mavericks are struggling to compete, and if it weren't for some draft lottery luck that netted them Cooper Flagg, they'd be in such a dire long-term position — especially amid Davis' injury.
They can still turn it around once Flagg comes into his own even further and if they manage to add another blue-chip prospect with what's looking like another high lottery pick. But the Mavericks did not need to go through all this in the first place had they just kept Doncic in the first place.
