Soon, Mavericks fans will have no option but to forgive Nico Harrison

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is on the verge of redeeming himself after facing significant backlash for trading Luka Doncic.

Dallas is going to be a force to reckon with next year. Cooper Flagg — widely regarded as the best American prospect since LeBron James — is about to be airdropped into a team full of veteran stars. 

When Kyrie Irving returns from his ACL injury (likely in January), the Mavericks will have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA. The projected starting lineup of Irving, Klay Thompson, Flagg, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II will be backed by outstanding role players such as P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Max Christie, Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin — all of whom are under contract for several years.  

Furthermore, the Mavs will reportedly use their $5.7M taxpayer MLE on a solid backup guard such as Dennis Schroder, D'Angelo Russell or Chris Paul to fill in for Irving.   

Amid all the criticism Harrison faced for trading Doncic — and justifiably so — he hasn't been given his due for building a talented roster. Players like Washington, Gafford, Marshall and Christie could easily be starters elsewhere, but will come off the bench in Dallas because of the deep roster assembled by Harrison.

Eventually, the Mavericks fan base will have no choice but to forgive Harrison for trading Doncic, their former favorite son. Sure, they'll still be emotionally tied to the Slovenian, but the Mavericks' success in the coming years will be enough for them to forgive Harrison. 

They say time heals all wounds, but Flagg's arrival is about to speed up the healing. Don't expect too many "Fire Nico" chants at the American Airlines Center next season.