Nico Harrison had to know his time was short when the Dallas Mavericks started the 2025-26 slow. That the Mavericks had to use portable stairs to let Harrison escape the wrath of angry fans was another terrible sign. The Mavericks fell to 3-8 after a 116-114 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 11. Harrison was relieved of his GM duties the following morning, just 17 months after the Mavericks reached the NBA Finals. While fans were most upset by Harrison trading superstar Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, plenty of other decisions doomed the general manager. Dallas had a very good team in 2023-24, but it was a team that won 50 games and finished fifth in the Western Conference. The Mavericks missed the playoffs in 2022-23, but Harrison’s subsequent moves helped them make their first Finals in 13 years. Harrison clearly believed the success came from him, not Doncic, but many of the moves haven’t aged well. The disastrous 2022-23 season put them in position to acquire center Dereck Lively II in the 2023 draft. L
