Through the first nine games of the regular season, the Dallas Mavericks find themselves in last place of the Western Conference with a 2-7 record. It's been a mess to begin the 2025-26 campaign, as the team just isn't meshing well right now. As a result, an old viral video of Nico Harrison defending his job after trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers is resurfacing on social media.

Back in April, after the Mavericks' general manager initially made the trade, Harrison was asked point-blank why he shouldn't be fired for trading away the 26-year-old superstar. In the clip, Nico Harrison claimed that Dallas would be competing for a championship in the 2025-26 season.

“I think I've done a really good job here,” said Harrison. “And I don't think I can be judged by the injuries this year. You have to judge the totality from the beginning to end… You'll see next year when our team comes back, we're going to be competing for a championship.”

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It's still early in the season, but the Mavericks look anything but a championship contender right now. Injuries to Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II certainly don't help. That's forcing Dallas to lean on rookie Cooper Flagg. Although Flagg is deemed a prolific prospect with franchise-altering potential, he's still a rookie and is adjusting to the professional level.

Getting healthy is of the utmost importance. Additionally, there is still plenty of time for the Mavericks to right the ship. However, if the losing trend continues, things could start getting a bit dicey for Nico Harrison.

Dallas will have a chance to earn its third win of the season on Saturday, when the Mavericks will take on the Washington Wizards at 7 p.m. EST. Washington is one of just three teams with a worse record than the Mavs.