For Dallas Mavericks fans, this day has been a long time coming, and for those who have been chanting ‘Fire Nico,’ wishing to send the team’s general manager to the unemployment line, they finally have a reason to celebrate on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
The Mavericks fired Harrison after four-plus years in charge of the team, following Dallas’ 3-8 start to the 2025-26 season, which ranks next to last in the Western Conference. With guard Kyrie Irving and forward Anthony Davis currently sitting out with injuries, the Mavericks ranked dead last in the NBA in scoring average and three-point field-goal percentage.
Harrison’s job security had been fragile since the Feb. 2 trade of All-NBA guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Even after Dallas defied all odds by winning the NBA Draft Lottery and selecting Duke star forward Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick, the hot seat never cooled for Harrison.
Here is a timeline of Nico Harrison’s tenure with the Dallas Mavericks:
Hired after decades at Nike
Harrison was not a basketball executive before being hired by former owner Mark Cuban on June 28, 2021. Harrison had spent the previous 19 years at Nike, the global footwear apparel giant, where he spent his final years as the Vice President of North American basketball operations.
Kyrie Irving trade
The team sought to pair Doncic with another superstar, and Harrison executed the trade in February 2023 that sent two players and three draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets, including a 2029 first-round pick, in exchange for All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and veteran Markieff Morris. The Mavericks finished the season 38-44, and missed the postseason.
Contract extension
Days before the 2024 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, the Mavericks rewarded Harrison with a contract extension. In three seasons, Dallas had made an appearance in two Western Conference Finals.
‘His vision, along with his efforts on behalf of our players and staff have propelled our team to two playoff appearances in three seasons and of course this year’s NBA Finals. We are proud to have him as part of our team for the long term,’ Mavericks team governor Patrick Dumont said at the time.
The Mavericks lost those finals in six games to the Celtics.
Luka Doncic trade
Many were sleeping on the night of Feb. 2, 2025, when word came that Doncic had been traded as part of a three-team deal to the Los Angeles Lakers in a move that stunned the sports world – just 10 months after the five-time All-NBA First Team performer led them to the NBA Finals.
The Lakers acquired Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris from the Mavericks, while Dallas received Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick from Los Angeles. The third team in the trade, the Utah Jazz, received Jalen Hood-Schifino and two 2025 second-round picks.
At the time, many basketball enthusiasts and fans questioned why Harrison made the deal, and what he told reporters about trading for Davis ultimately came back to haunt him.
‘If you pair him with Kyrie and the rest of the guys, he fits with our time frame to win now and in the future,’ Harrison said after the trade. ‘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 (head coach Jason Kidd) by then. Or we bury ourselves.’
The shovels came early for Harrison, and it remains to be seen about Kidd’s future in Dallas. His hiring was announced the same day as Harrison’s.