Mavericks Fire General Manager Who Traded Luka Doncic To The Lakers: Reports

The Dallas Mavericks person fired wide head Nico Harrison 9 months aft he made a waste and acquisition that roiled nan franchise and shocked nan NBA, according to aggregate reports.

Harrison, 52, was hired arsenic nan Mavericks’ wide head and president of hoops operations successful June 2021. Dallas made it to nan convention finals successful 2022 and nan NBA Finals successful 2024, erstwhile they mislaid to nan Boston Celtics.

But successful February of this year, Harrison traded Luka Doncic, past only 25, to nan Los Angeles Lakers successful speech for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick. The waste and acquisition was wide criticized, arsenic Doncic was selected to 5 consecutive All-Star and All-NBA First Teams from 2020 done 2024.

“I judge that defense wins championships,” Harrison told ESPN successful February astir his reasoning for trading distant a subordinate viewed arsenic a generational superstar. “I judge that getting an All-Defensive halfway and an All-NBA subordinate pinch a protect mindset gives america a amended chance. We’re built to triumph now and successful nan future.”

Luka Doncic of nan Los Angeles Lakers connected Nov. 10 successful Charlotte, N.C.David Jensen / Getty Images

While nan Mavericks entered Tuesday classed 3rd successful nan NBA defensively, their 3-8 grounds is fifth-worst successful nan league. No. 1 wide prime Cooper Flagg — who nan squad selected aft missing nan playoffs past play and winning nan draught lottery — has struggled. So has Davis, who is presently averaging his lowest points per crippled since 2014.

Harrison has had to strengthen “Fire Nico” chants astatine location games arsenic Dallas has struggled, and moreover Mavericks proprietor Patrick Dumont has been booed. The vexation is simply a continuation of what happened successful nan contiguous aftermath successful nan trade, erstwhile fans were canceling subscriptions to nan squad streaming work en masse aliases being kicked retired of games for bringing “Fire Nico” signs.

“The vibes are not good,” Josh Bowe, a podcaster and writer who grew up successful nan Dallas area and has been covering nan squad since 2009, told NBC News earlier this year. “And I deliberation what’s happening is there’s a imaginable for a generational nonaccomplishment of fans. I’ve seen plentifulness of fans opportunity that they don’t really want to watch nan squad anymore. I consciousness for illustration we’ll beryllium studying nan effects aliases nan effect of this for years.”

Doncic, meanwhile, is presently averaging 37.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 9.1 assists per crippled for nan Lakers. Los Angeles is 8-3 and successful 4th spot successful nan Western Conference, and LeBron James has yet to play a game.