Nico Harrison damage won't be easy to undo

The Dallas Mavericks addressed the root of their problem on Tuesday by firing embattled general manager Nico Harrison, but the damage he wreaked will be hard for the next front office leader to undo.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported early Tuesday that Harrison's ouster was imminent, and the team moved forward with the decision minutes later.

Nico Harrison firing was long overdue, but disastrous run could haunt Mavericks for years 

Harrison's dismissal came less than 24 hours after the Mavericks (3-8) lost to the Milwaukee Bucks (7-5, fifth in Eastern Conference), 116-114. Only the New Orleans Pelicans (2-8) have a worse record in the Western Conference than Dallas, which is 16-28 since the ill-fated February 2025 Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. This season, the Mavericks are averaging an NBA-worst 107.2 points per game.

Meanwhile, Doncic, who was a first-team All-NBA selection in each of his last five seasons with the Mavericks, is averaging a career-high 37.1 points per game along with 9.4 rebounds and 9.1 assists on 49.1 percent shooting for the Lakers, who are 8-3, fourth in Western Conference.

Power forward Anthony Davis, acquired in the Doncic trade, has missed six consecutive games with a calf injury, continuing a troubling trend that has followed the 14-year veteran throughout his NBA career. The Mavs are also without point guard Kyrie Irving, who is still recovering from a March 2025 torn Achilles.

Dallas has few tradable assets to improve its roster. With the NBA's apron rules making trades more challenging, it could be hard to find a suitor for Davis or Irving if both become available. They're on contracts worth a combined $97.9 million next season and also have 2027-28 player options.

Harrison backed the next general manager further into a corner by accepting the lowball Lakers offer that only included one future first-round pick (2029). Among their own future firsts, the Mavericks don't have control of one until 2031.

The best path forward could be to part with players including shooting guard Klay Thompson, small forward Naji Marshall and center Daniel Gafford, players on more palatable contracts, for future draft capital. That would make the Mavericks even worse in the present, but it would allow them build around 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. 

Thanks to Harrison's decision-making, it could be years before the Mavericks, who just two seasons ago reached the NBA Finals, sniff the postseason again. Dallas will need to give its next general manager patience. It only took one trade for the Mavs to collapse, and it could take several more for them to bounce back.