The Mavericks Fired Nico Harrison — But That Luka Trade Fired Him Months Ago

Welp, Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles could’ve seen this one coming from the nosebleeds.

After Tuesday morning’s meeting with team governor Patrick Dumont, the Dallas Mavericks officially fired GM Nico Harrison, ending one of the most confusing, head-scratching, “what were you thinking?” tenures in recent NBA memory.

And honestly … it was overdue.

Because the minute Harrison signed off on trading Luka Doncic, a 25-year-old five-time All-NBA selection in his prime, to the Los Angeles Lakers, his days in Dallas were numbered.

You don’t trade away a generational superstar who just led you to the NBA Finals for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick and expect to keep your job.

That’s not team-building.

Nah.

That’s sabotage disguised as strategy.

Especially when Luka’s in L.A. now looking slim, electric, and angry, averaging 37.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 9.1 assists, while leading the Lakers to an 8-3 start without LeBron James.

That’s like breaking up with your girl because you think you can “upgrade,” only to turn on the TV and see her headlining Coachella with Beyoncé.

Yeah. You fumbled.

When that trade went down back in February, Dallas fans hit the streets. They protested outside the American Airlines Center. They held “Fire Nico” signs. They booed ownership.

They wanted blood, and they’ve been chanting for it ever since.

You could hear “Fire Nico!” echo through the arena like it was part of the intro playlist.

So now, Patrick Dumont finally decided to give the people what they wanted.

In his open letter to fans, Dumont said the quiet part out loud: the Mavs aren’t living up to expectations.

“No one associated with the Mavericks organization is happy with the start of what we all believed would be a promising season,” Dumont said. “You have high expectations for the Mavericks, and I share them with you. When the results don’t meet expectations, it’s my responsibility to act.”

Translation: “I can’t have fans burning Luka jerseys in front of the arena again.”

What makes it even worse is that Harrison actually tried to justify that trade by saying, “Defense wins championships.”

Sure, defense matters, but last I checked, Luka Dončić is the offense. And since he left, Dallas’ defense hasn’t exactly turned into the ’04 Pistons either.

Meanwhile, Anthony Davis — the supposed “defensive anchor” — has played a grand total of 14 games since arriving. He’s been hurt, re-injured, and then hurt again. It’s like every time he sneezes, the team trainer flinches.

And it’s not like the Mavs were swimming in good fortune otherwise. Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in March, ending his season early. Then the team fell out of the playoff race, losing to Memphis in the final play-in. And sure, they lucked into the No. 1 overall pick to draft Cooper Flagg, but that wasn’t enough to save Harrison.

Because here’s the thing: when you trade away a franchise cornerstone, you don’t get multiple chances to “fix it.”

Luka Doncic was the Mavs’ golden ticket, the kind of player you build around, not trade away. And the fact that Nico Harrison thought otherwise tells you everything you need to know.

I’m not saying Harrison’s the only one to blame — ownership signed off on it too — but let’s keep it a buck: someone in that building needs to be drug tested.

At the end of the day, this firing was inevitable. You can’t lose the best player in franchise history since Dirk Nowitzki and expect the city to move on. Luka was Dallas basketball, and Harrison shipped him out like a clearance item.

So yeah, the move makes sense. But now, the real question is: what’s next for the Mavs?

They’ve got a young phenom in Cooper Flagg. They’ve got Kyrie rehabbing and still under contract. But they no longer have their superstar. And that’s the kind of hole you don’t just fill.

Dallas fans deserved better. And maybe now, after this mess, they’ll finally get it.

Because Nico Harrison didn’t just lose his job, he lost the trust.

And in sports, once you lose that?

It’s over.