As Luka Doncic made his return to face the Dallas Mavericks, fans were reminded once again about the blockbuster trade that had a lot of people asking for the firing of general manager Nico Harrison. As Harrison had to listen to the “Fire Nico” chants from Mavericks fans be louder during the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, there is apparently a way to make it right according to Kendrick Perkins.
On the ESPN show “NBA Today,” Perkins was asked “Can the Mavericks begin to move on from Luka-AD trade?” which the former player had an idea for Harrison to save himself from any question about his job security. He would bring up how in the offseason, Harrison should trade for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant to team with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.
“I will say this, there's a way for Dallas to make this right,” Perkins said. “A lot of people talking about, ‘oh yeah, they didn't get enough back, they should have got Austin Reeves.' You know how they can make this right? Soon as the season is over, you go out and you go get Kevin Durant. That's how you make it right, you have the pieces you have some money to make a trade happen. That's how you make it right if you're Nico Harrison in the front office of the Mavericks organization, go get KD [Durant] to pair alongside Kyrie [Irving] and AD [Anthony Davis].”
“That's how you make it right if you're Nico Harrison… Go get [Kevin Durant] to pair alongside [Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis].”
– Kendrick Perkins 👀
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/kXzWKrhO9e
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 10, 2025
Is Nico Harrison's job with the Mavericks safe?
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As there has been constant conversation around Harrison's job security with the Mavericks, the decision is ultimately up to owner Patrick Dumont who has had the back of his general manager before and even after the trade as said by Marc Stein.
“What is known to this point: Dumont backed Harrison strongly in that lone post-trade interview he has given. In Nico we trust,” Stein wrote. “It seems a stretch, on some levels, to imagine Dumont signing off on the trade Harrison recommended and then dismissing him mere months later to appease an angry public reaction. Giving in to such calls isn't going to bring Dončić back.”
While Doncic is on the Lakers, the Mavericks are going to have to work with what they got which isn't a bad unit featuring elite stars like Irving and Davis. At any rate, Dallas is currently 38-42 which puts them 10th in the Western Conference as the team next faces the Toronto Raptors on Friday.