It has been a wild year and a half for the Dallas Mavericks. They traded Luka Doncic because he didn’t fit into Nico Harrison’s plan. Months and a string of losses later, they fired Harrison as well. They have been trying to wipe that bitter period from their memories, but it would seem that the Doncic trade did more damage than just ruin their season.
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The franchise’s greatest player, Dirk Nowitzki had been unhappy with the club for some time but the Luka trade was the last straw, pushing the Mavericks out of his good graces. For the most part, Dirk has been on good terms with his former team.
However, that would change once Harrison came to power. Nowitzki wasn’t a big fan of Harrison firing Casey Smith, who was the team’s director of health and performance. Things only escalated after that. However, the team’s new owner, Patrick Dumont, is on the pursuit of mending that relationship, which could involve more than just apologies.
Not every NBA team has the luxury of being home to a player of Nowitzki’s caliber. The German superstar spent each of his 21 seasons with the Mavericks, earning 14 All-Star appearances, an MVP, and a championship in 2011.
The Mavs front desk has since realized its flaws and has begun the journey to rectify their actions. The team’s first course of action was to let go of Harrison. ESPN analyst Tim MacMahon revealed that Patrick Dumont’s next priority is regarding Nowitzki.
Patrick Dumont has reached out in an effort to begin repairing that relationship, which is what I’ve been told. And I think that Dirk is open-minded, or at least I’ve been told that Dirk is open-minded in terms of being a part of the franchise moving forward,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on the Howdy Partners podcast.
With Harrison out of the picture, it makes sense that Nowitzki is open to turning a new leaf. However, he doesn’t have any intention of being a visual band-aid for the team’s hiccups by just showing face. MacMahon revealed Nowitzki wants to have a voice within the franchise.
“I don’t think Dirk is going to be interested in just going and waving to the crowd and kind of being a beauty queen. I think if he’s going to be involved, he’s actually going to be in a situation where he’s giving input,” MacMahon said.
By no means will the Mavericks give Nowitzki a high-standing role within the team’s front office. However, the organization hasn’t ruled out elevating the Hall-of-Fame forward to more than just a former player.
“He’s not a candidate for the president of basketball operations, let me be real clear. But I do think there is a possibility that Dirk could be in some way, shape, or form part of the front office moving forward,” MacMahon added.
It is great to see the Mavericks become so proactive in cleaning up their actions. They can’t take back the mistake of trading away Doncic. However, they can make sure they are in a great place for the future. There’s no better way to spread that message to your fans than getting your franchise cornerstone as a figure in the team’s movement.
