Mavericks make rare front-office decision after firing Nico Harrison

Upon firing president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison, the Dallas Mavericks will make Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi their interim co-GMs, reports Tina Nguyen of FOX 32 Chicago.

Mavericks make rare front-office decision

Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon of ESPN confirm the report, indicating that Finley and Riccardi was promoted during a meeting with Mavs governor Patrick Dumont.

While it’s somewhat rare for a team to employ co-GMs, it’s not unprecedented. For instance, the Suns designated James Jones and Trevor Bukstein as co-GMs when they made a front-office change just before the start of the 2018-19 season, then named Jones their lone, permanent head of basketball operations at the end of that season.

Who are Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi?

A two-time All-Star and NBA champion as a player, Finley played in the NBA from 1995-2010 before transitioning to a front-office role. He was hired by the Mavericks in 2012 and was promoted to VP of basketball operations in 2018. He later became the team’s assistant GM and VP of player personnel in 2021.

Riccardi, a native of the Dallas area, worked with the Nets for 13 years in scouting and executive roles, then was hired by the Mavericks in 2022 as their senior director of pro personnel. He was promoted during the summer of 2023 to an assistant GM position and was the Mavs’ representative in the drawing room on draft lottery night in May when the team won the No. 1 overall pick.

Marc Stein reported Tuesday morning that former Mavs adviser and current Pistons executive Dennis Lindsey could be a target for Dallas, while Chris Mannix of SI.com suggested there has been chatter about the possibility of head coach Jason Kidd moving to a front-office role.

For now, Finley and Riccardi will run the show, and it’s possible one or both will receive consideration for the permanent job.