In less than three months, Nico Harrison has seen his popularity plummet to shocking lows. Many locals are treating the Dallas Mavericks general manager as a criminal following his decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Critical signs surround and fill American Airlines Center, as fans demand the organization to dismiss the man from his post.

That condemnation intensified as it became more and more likely that the snake-bitten Mavs were going to miss the playoffs a year after advancing to the NBA Finals. Injuries played a major role in the team finishing with a 39-43 record, but watching Doncic and the Lakers climb the Western Conference standings has people feeling completely unsympathetic to management.

Harrison has defended his decision to move the Slovenian superstar guard, which netted the Mavericks four-time All-NBA First-Team selection Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick, causing the public to become even more irate. Of course, he endured all the fury firsthand, as relentless jeers reverberated throughout the arena during home games.

They say you are supposed to drown out the noise, but no one can ignore such unmitigated disgust. Harrison is well aware of where he stands with Dallas residents.

Mavericks GM Nico Harrison speaks on the vitriolic crowd response

“When you have 20,000 people in the stadium chanting ‘Fire Nico' you really feel it,” Harrison said, per ClutchPoints reporter Joey Mistretta, while addressing the media Monday afternoon. “I use the word awesome, but not in a positive way. You can really feel how they feel. How am I doing? I'm good… God's got me covered. I have an amazing family, amazing support group to {help me} get through it.

“But I absolutely feel it. But my job is to make decisions that are in the best interests of this organization and I've got to stand by the decision, and some of them are going to be unpopular. This was clearly one that's unpopular.”

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While there is nothing Harrison can do in this moment to appease the masses, perhaps fans would simmer ever so slightly if the GM admitted he should have tried to obtain more draft capital in the blockbuster trade. Believe it or not, one can argue that a healthy Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving-led Mavericks squad is more balanced than the group Doncic led to the Finals last year.

But the high injury risks associated with both future Hall of Famers make it difficult to carry out that grand vision. If he was determined to go through with this “unpopular” move, Nico Harrison needed to acquire an insurance policy by stocking up on more picks. He is learning that what can go wrong, will go wrong.

There is still a chance this roster achieves notable postseason success, but with Irving suffering a torn ACL on March 3, an already small title window is rapidly shrinking. If Dallas is unable to stop the bleeding, and the future gets bleaker, Harrison's presence will probably only stir up more outrage.

He would be wise to savor the long break from live crowds this offseason.