On Tuesday, the Dallas Mavericks finally made the move that so many fans had been clamoring for by firing Nico Harrison from his position as the team's general manager. The decision, which was first reported by ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, brings an end to a disastrous era that saw the team trade superstar Luka Doncic in a deal that quickly became regarded as the worst in recent sports history.
Much has been speculated upon about just how closely Harrison was working with team owner Patrick Dumont on the trade, with some going so far as to speculate that it was Dumont's direct order for Harrison to trade Doncic.
However, the two clearly weren't seeing eye to eye in recent weeks, as evidenced by a recent anecdote from NBA insider Marc Stein.
“Dumont, in what ranks as a timely and telling illustration of the depths of the erosion in ownership's faith in Harrison, stepped in over the weekend to prevent Davis from returning from a strained left calf and playing in Saturday's eventual road win over the Washington Wizards to guard against further injury,” reported Stein on Substack.
Stein also noted that “both Davis and Harrison wanted the 32-year-old to play; Dumont's refusal to allow it to happen served as the clearest signal yet that he was finally ready to pay heed to the local residents who have been calling for Harrison's ouster since the trade went down.”
A big move for the Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks now have a vacancy at their general manager position, and while they won't be getting Luka Doncic back, they can finally start thinking about how best to proceed with a fresh voice in the front office.
Dallas has gotten off to a horrid start to this season, currently sitting at 3-8 despite a solid first few weeks for Rookie of the Year favorite Cooper Flagg.
In any case, the Mavericks will next take the floor on Wednesday evening at home against the Phoenix Suns.
