Nov 6, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban during the game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Mavericks' Mark Cuban Admits Hiring Nico Harrison Was 'Mistake'

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Mar 12, 2026 10:40 AM ET

Nico Harrison made one of the most disastrous decisions in NBA history a little over a year ago when he traded Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. It was a poor return on investment for one of the three or four best players in the NBA, and he went about it the complete wrong way, never opening it up for bidding.

Harrison would be fired 9 months after making the trade, as the Mavericks finally realized the external pressure was too much. He should've been fired the moment he even suggested the trade, but he was able to talk Patrick Dumont into it being the best thing for the franchise.

Had Mark Cuban still been the majority owner, that trade would've never happened. And now, he's admitted what we've all said, that hiring Harrison in the first place was a mistake.

Cuban appeared on the Adam Friedland show, where he was asked if he regretted hiring Nico Harrison. "Yeah, in hindsight now, it was a mistake."

Mark Cuban says hiring Nico Harrison was a mistake

(via @adam_talkshow, h/t @TheNBABase)pic.twitter.com/JochnUq7By
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 12, 2026

Nico Harrison was originally around the same time as Jason Kidd was brought in to be the head coach. It signaled a changing of the guard, as Rick Carlisle was no longer the head coach, and Donnie Nelson was no longer the GM after well over a decade-long tenure for both key figures.

Hiring Nico Harrison Was Always Incredibly Risky

The Dallas Mavericks hired an agency to help them in their search for a general manager in 2021, but Mark Cuban ignored all of it when he hired Nico Harrison, who had never been an executive in the NBA.

Cuban's thinking behind it was that they wanted someone with a lot of strong player relationships around the NBA to help them with free agency, and Harrison certainly had that from his time at Nike. But knowing people and being able to run an NBA team are two entirely different things.

Harrison looked like a genius after the Mavs made the NBA Finals in 2024, but a lot of the moves made at that time, such as trading for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, were influenced by Dennis Lindsey, who had been the general manager of the Utah Jazz during their strong stretch in the 2010s and early 2020s before becoming an advisor for the Mavs. He has since moved on to the Detroit Pistons, who are seeing a revival, as well.

It was always incredibly risky to hire Harrison, and it came back to haunt them.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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