Nine months ago, Patrick Dumont and Nico Harrison appeared aligned on the future of the Dallas Mavericks.
The duo made a unified decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. The choice led to immediate backlash from the fanbase of a franchise three wins away from an NBA championship the previous year.
“In Nico we trust,” the Mavericks governor told The Dallas Morning News, a public vote of support for the general manager.
Less than a month into the 2025-26 season, that confidence may have waned. Harrison is on the hot seat as the Mavericks are off to their worst start since 2018-19 with the second-worst record in the Western Conference and the second-worst offense in the NBA.
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Those factors make it unlikely any vision had will come to fruition this season. Despite injuries to Davis, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II and others, the public outcry for Dumont to dismiss the GM has grown louder, perhaps so loud that Harrison won’t last the three- to four-year timeline he set following the Doncic trade to return the Mavericks to championship contention.
Dumont arrived at American Airlines Center roughly two hours before Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the start of a pivotal four-game homestand. The Mavericks hope to improve upon their season-opening five-game home series, which resulted in a poor record of 2-3.
Fans across the AAC voiced displeasure with Harrison in the second game of the season when the Mavericks suffered a lopsided loss on Oct. 24 to the Washington Wizards, who are in a three-way tie for the worst record in the league. “Fire Nico” chants rang through the arena, a familiar request from disgruntled fans dating to Feb. 1.
The Mavericks have since suffered losses to under-.500 teams such as the Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies. The attendance for last Wednesday’s embarrassing loss to the one-win Pelicans was 18,925, which marked the first time a Mavericks home game has reached below 19,000 in two decades outside of the COVID era.
If Dumont determines a change is inevitable, there’s more than enough reason to believe someone else should be making roster decisions as soon as possible.
The franchise’s best chance for rapid improvement would need to include a sudden turnaround to the roster, Irving’s as-yet undetermined return, or a trade. The team’s ability to improve through the draft will be severely limited after the 2026 offseason because the Mavericks won’t have total control over their first-round pick until 2031.
If the governor doesn’t make a move soon, Harrison will be under a microscope from now until the Feb. 5 trade deadline, which figures to be pivotal given their poor start to the season.
The Mavericks’ offensive rating of 103.9 ranks 29th in the NBA. They average a league-worst 106.5 points when the league average across all 30 teams is 116.7 points per game. The roster lacks shot creation, playmaking and perimeter shooting, a void left by the absence of All-Star guard Irving, who’s recovering from ACL surgery.
There have been injuries to the frontcourt as the Mavericks have rotated Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford at the center position to compensate for their respective injuries. The trio has yet to play a game together, and Gafford, who missed the first five games, is the only one who’s healthy.
Veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson, who was acquired in the 2024 offseason as the missing piece for the Mavericks to return to the NBA Finals, has averaged a career-low 7.6 points while shooting a career-worst 26.4% from beyond the 3-point line. In light of the struggles, he was demoted to the bench in place of D’Angelo Russell for the sake of having a traditional point guard on the floor to begin games.
Speaking of their void at point guard, the Mavericks’ overreliance on an 18-year-old Cooper Flagg, who had little experience playing the position on a full-time basis, is understandable for his long-term development.
But Harrison’s transactions since the Doncic trade have shown the team is operating on two timelines, to win now and in the future as Flagg’s game adapts to the NBA. They squandered an opportunity at a strong start by experimenting with the idea for Flagg to initiate the offense for seven games too long.
The Mavericks’ four-game homestand begins against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, which is followed by three games against the Phoenix Suns, LA Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers.
An unsatisfactory outcome in front of the home fans could be the tipping point for Mavericks ownership to make a final decision.
On Twitter/X: @MikeACurtis2
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