The Dallas Mavericks fired Nico Harrison on Tuesday, sending away the general manager responsible for the decision to trade Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers last February, a move that reshuffled the NBA’s hierarchy and plummeted the Mavericks from an NBA Finals contender to a struggling franchise with Harrison’s decision-making a frequent punchline.

Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont signed off on firing the 52-year-old former Nike executive with two seasons remaining on his contract amid the Mavericks’ disappointing start to the season. The Mavericks are 3-8 and in 14th place in the Western Conference. Dallas ranks 29th in the NBA in scoring, unfamiliar territory for a franchise that finished in the top 10 in offense four times in six years under Dončic.

“This decision reflects our continued commitment to building a championship-caliber organization, one that delivers for our players, our partners, and most importantly, our fans,” Dumont said in a statement.

Here’s Patrick Dumont’s letter to Mavs fans: pic.twitter.com/auLgTolsNu

— Christian Clark (@christianpclark) November 11, 2025

Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley will serve as the Mavericks’ co-interim GMs, and “a comprehensive search will begin for a permanent replacement,” the team said.

Anthony Davis was the centerpiece of the package the Mavericks got back in the deal from the Lakers on Feb. 1. Even though Davis was six years older than Dončic at the time of the trade and had a more extensive injury history, Harrison defended his decision amid overwhelming backlash and puzzlement from Mavs fans as the deal rippled throughout the sport.

“If you pair him with Kyrie (Irving) and the rest of the guys, he fits with our time frame to win now and in the future,” Harrison said in February. “The future to me is three, four years from now. Ten years from now, I don’t know. They’ll probably bury me and J (Mavericks coach Jason Kidd) by then. Or we bury ourselves.”

The morning after the trade, Mavericks fans protested the decision outside the American Airlines Center, with a small group of fans holding a mock funeral. Fans inside the building called for Harrison’s firing. “Fire Nico” chants at the American Airlines Center began in February, and they kept up even after the Mavericks miraculously won the NBA Draft Lottery, which allowed them to take Cooper Flagg at No. 1. There were more “Fire Nico” chants at the team draft party in June.

“Fire Nico” chants at the AAC for the Dallas Mavericks Draft Watch Party.

Dallas is currently on the clock with the No. 1 pick. pic.twitter.com/qmYnQw2ePb

— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) June 26, 2025

The Mavericks’ loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday was a tipping point. Fans continued their “Fire Nico” chants during the fourth quarter, even as P.J. Washington was at the free-throw line with 1.2 seconds left with a chance to tie the game. Washington missed 2 of 3 free throws and Dallas lost 116-114.

By Tuesday morning, word began to circulate that Harrison would be terminated.

In February, when the trade was made, Davis was recovering from an abdominal strain. In his first game with the team on Feb. 8, he suffered a left adductor strain, which kept him out for six weeks. Roughly three weeks later, Irving tore the ACL in his left knee, which left the Mavericks without a reliable shot-creating guard.

In July, the Mavericks signed D’Angelo Russell as a stopgap solution in the backcourt. Harrison seemed happy with the signing, telling Russell, “I like you with a chip on your shoulder” in a video Russell released on his YouTube channel. However, Harrison and coach Jason Kidd had different opinions about how much Russell could impact games. Kidd brought Russell off the bench in Dallas’ first eight games of the season. The Mavericks only turned to Russell as a starter after suffering a home loss to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 5, which dropped them to 2-6.

Making matters worse for Dallas: Davis has been sidelined since Oct. 29, when he suffered a left calf strain in a game against the Indiana Pacers. Davis’ injury occurred after he reported to Mavericks training camp at 268 pounds, according to the training camp roster, 15 pounds heavier than his listed weight last season. That was an ironic twist, considering the Mavericks traded Dončic while he was recovering from a left calf strain he suffered on Dec. 25, the last time he ever wore a Dallas uniform.

Harrison, 52, leaves Dallas in a tricky place. The Mavericks have a tentpole player in Flagg, but don’t control any of their own first-round picks from 2027 to 2030, the result of trades Harrison made to strengthen the roster around Dončic.

Those moves worked. The Mavericks had all the makings of a contender after reaching the NBA Finals in 2024. But Harrison upended everything by trading the person who was most essential to the team’s championship pursuit just months after that breakthrough.

On Monday night, Dumont was seen sitting and chatting courtside at Dallas’ American Airlines Center with a teenager wearing Dončić’s gold Los Angeles Lakers jersey.

According to the fan, Nicholas Dickason, an 18-year-old Dallasite whose family owns season tickets four rows behind where Dumont sits, the Mavs governor expressed remorse for the decision to trade the star.

“Basically, Patrick was like, he feels horrible for the trade,” Dickason, who was apologizing himself for previously shouting at Dumont, told The Athletic. “And wants to make it up to us.”