It was never going to end well for Nico Harrison, not after making the decision to trade away a beloved generational star. Sure, there were flickers of hope that Harrison’s plan to transform a Dallas Mavericks team built around the offensive talents of Luka Dončić into a defensive menace spearheaded by Anthony Davis would work: the two-plus quarters Dallas played in Davis’s debut last February and the brilliant stretch Kyrie Irving put together after the All-Star break. But Irving’s knee injury dashed the Mavs’ chances of making a run last season, and not even the lottery luck that led to Cooper Flagg could save Dallas in this one.
“This decision reflects our continued commitment to building a championship-caliber organization,” said Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont in announcing Harrison’s firing on Tuesday. “One that delivers for our players, our partners and most importantly, our fans.”
