After one of the most controversial trades in the history of sports, Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is falling on his own sword.
On Tuesday morning, ESPN NBA reporter Shams Charania posted that Harrison would be fired in a meeting with Mavs ownership, months after he traded franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić straight-up to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. That was confirmed in a letter from Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont in an open letter to fans.
At the time, the trade was considered one of the most shocking in league history. And Harrison probably didn’t do himself any favors in the aftermath of it, either. While Dončić and Davis are both All-NBA talents, Luka was a beloved figure in Dallas who had just led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. Considering he is also much younger than Davis and didn’t have the same track record of injuries, it felt like an incredible gamble.
And although it’s been less than a year, the gamble hasn’t seemed to pay off. Dončić is averaging an otherworldly 37.1 points per game so far this season while leading the Lakers to an 8-3 record. Meanwhile, the Mavericks are 3-8 and Davis hasn’t played since October 29th because, shockingly, he’s currently injured. On top of that, the Mavs are asking #1 pick Cooper Flagg to play point guard in an experiment that hasn’t worked and their season looks over before it began.
With the Nico Harrison Era over in Dallas, sports media members were quick to react to his rapid, but unsurprising demise.
my last convo with nico harrison as gm was media day this year. told me my “why shouldn’t you be fired” question was the “most disrespectful question he’s ever been asked” & had a good back & forth about it.
ended with him saying time will tell if he was right.
time has told pic.twitter.com/P28D34nI73
— Isaac Harris (@IsaacLHarris) November 11, 2025
I’ve worked in sports a long time. My least favorite type of people are those who think fans are beneath them. And nobody believed that more than Nico Harrison.
So respectfully, good riddance.
— Jason Gallagher (@jga41agher) November 11, 2025
Nico Harrison was wrong. pic.twitter.com/oe2SXP1Xal
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) November 11, 2025
.@stephenasmith: “Who was the person that insisted Luka Doncic needed to go?”@ShamsCharania: “It was Nico Harrison. It was Nico Harrison’s decision … pitch … idea, to trade Luka Doncic.” pic.twitter.com/Dybacl3psq
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 11, 2025
That first Nico Harrison podcast episode is going to be messy.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 11, 2025
Pelinka should probably wait a few hours before sending Nico the “Sorry dude, this sucks” text.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 11, 2025
Mavericks leaking the exact time of the meeting for the Nico firing (10 a.m.) is weird. Even Jerry didn’t leak the exact time he was shoving Jimmy out the door with $2 million in his pocket. This has gotten ugly.
— Tim Cowlishaw (@TimCowlishaw) November 11, 2025
Good riddance to Nico Harrison, the personification of everything that’s going on. Blew up something good because he didn’t understand it and it didn’t conform to his vision of toughness. One of the clearest pictures of Everyone Is 12 Now ever produced. Untold damage to my psyche. Enjoy podcasting.
— Tim Onion (@bencollins.bsky.social) November 11, 2025 at 10:36 AM
clearly Nico Harrison had a grand long-term vision when he traded away one of the best players in the NBA for a paltry return and the team’s management is short-sighted for not letting him see that vision through
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger.bsky.social) November 11, 2025 at 10:40 AM
say it with me: LSU athletic director Nico Harrison
— Luke Knox (@lukeknox.me) November 11, 2025 at 12:09 PM
It’s hard to think of a single move that will come to define someone’s career as a general manager in professional sports like the Nico Harrison deal to trade Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis. It certainly appears to be the type of deal that will follow both franchises for years to come, for better and for worse. But at least the Mavs won’t have to play in their own building to the constant “Fire Nico” chants.
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