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The Dallas Mavericks announced they had fired general manager Nico Harrison on Tuesday.
The team said Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi were named co-general managers while the organization searches for a permanent replacement.
“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,” Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont said in a statement.
Harrison, 52, orchestrated the stunning trade of superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
Since the embattled general manager traded the fan favorite for Anthony Davis, chants of “Fire Nico!” have been a constant at Mavericks home games.
Harrison has been the team’s general manager since June 2021 and had a 182-157 record in his four-plus seasons on the job. In 2023-2024, the team made it to the NBA Finals before falling to the Boston Celtics.
After trading Doncic last season, the Mavericks fell out of the playoff picture and barely snuck into the Play-In Tournament, where they were eliminated. They became the first team since 2019-2020 to miss the playoffs the year after making the NBA Finals.
The Mavericks improbably won the NBA Draft Lottery to get the No. 1 overall pick, which they used on former Duke star Cooper Flagg. Despite Flagg and Davis forming a strong duo in the frontcourt, the Mavericks have struggled this season.
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The Mavericks are 3-8 and only ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference. The team blew a double-digit lead to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, and the “fire Nico” chants grew louder as their lead disappeared from Mavericks fans in the 116-114 loss.
After the loss on Monday, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was asked if the chants calling for the general manager’s job were affecting the team’s morale. “It’s noise, so I would say that, speaking for them, we just continue to keep playing throughout the game. I thought, again, we put ourselves in a position to win tonight, but that’s a question you’ll have to ask the players that are playing.”
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Mavericks guard Brandon Williams called the chants “unfortunate,” but said they have to play through it.
The team’s first game in the post-Nico Harrison era is against the Phoenix Suns (6-5) on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.
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