After a disastrous season that saw the Dallas Mavericks trade their best player and miss the playoffs, they are expected to make a big change this summer. Especially after making the NBA Finals last year, only to end up picking in the draft lottery this season.
One big change could involve GM Nico Harrison, who made the dumbfounding Luka Dončić trade in the first place. That decision sent shock waves around the league.
It even sparked protest from Mavericks fans who were outraged that he would trade the team's best player.
"I did know that Luka was important to the fan base. I didn't quite know it to what level."
— ESPN (@espn) April 21, 2025
—Mavericks GM Nico Harrison on the Luka Doncic trade pic.twitter.com/AIpzFygBb3
Harrison, himself, even admitted that he didn't expect there to be that big of a backlash, which illustrates how out of touch he is with the Mavericks fanbase.
Chuck has a message for Nico Harrison: pic.twitter.com/jBPZvxSGuq
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 21, 2025
Not just that, but Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont was reportedly upset that Harrison didn't warn him about the backlash that they'd face after trading Doncic. As a result, Harrison was finally forced to answer questions regarding his decision to trade Doncic, and it only added to the distraction that he's become.
For the Dallas Mavericks to move forward, they must move on from Nico Harrison.
The Mavericks already face an uphill battle to make the playoffs next season, with star Kyrie Irving likely out until January of next year. As a result, they may be better served to trade Anthony Davis and embrace tanking next season.
To do that, that would likely mean that they would have to move on from Harrison. After all, he was the one who wanted Davis instead of Dončić in the first place.
Moreover, the Mavericks currently have the 11th pick in this year's draft. As a result, they would be wise to fire Harrison to avoid having him further damage their franchise further.
The draft is set for June 25th, and draft prep takes months. If the Mavericks decide to move on from Harrison, it will likely be within the next couple of weeks to allow time for a new GM to evaluate their options to make the best pick for the franchise.
Overall, the Mavericks should look to move on from Harrison this summer. With them needing to embrace a rebuild after foolishly trading Dončić, having the GM who made the decision to trade him in the first place oversee that rebuild would be another disaster waiting to happen. Based on that, the Mavericks should look to start fresh this summer.