It’s usually not a good sign when a General Manager ends up being the most talked-about figure in an NBA franchise, and in Dallas, for the last nine months, Nico Harrison has been the talk of the town. He traded Luka Doncic, their face, away, and has been publicly crucified by everyone in the city since then.
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Earlier this week, he lost his job as well. But this recent firing has brought into the spotlight other factors that contributed to the Doncic trade, and it doesn’t appear to be all Harrison’s fault.
There were reports of others in the organization doubting Doncic’s mindset after their Finals loss to the Boston Celtics in 2024, and that’s when the conversations surrounding a potential move away from the Slovenian began. Harrison, of course, was the man placed in front of the firing squad since he was the GM. But it simply couldn’t have been a decision made solely by him.
Charles Barkley recently emphasized the same. He voiced sympathy for Harrison after Dallas made the decision to part ways with him, and even lauded him for doing a good job with the roster. Moreover, he simply doesn’t see Harrison having the kind of power needed to single-handedly remove a franchise cornerstone like Doncic.
Yes, Harrison, on paper, had the final say to decide player trades. That’s what a GM does. But when it comes to hugely important players — the likes of Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and more — owners, CEOs, and other senior figures are bound to step in.
“There’s no way in the world Nico Harrison had the power to trade Luka Doncic unless the owner of the team signed off on it,” Barkley said in an ESPN segment. “I feel bad the way Nico’s being made a scapegoat.”
This doesn’t seem to be a claim too far-fetched. There were discussions behind the scenes for certain, and even head coach Jason Kidd was involved in making the final call, as reported by Shams Charania, arguably the NBA’s most trusted insider.
“At that time, though, it’s important to note, there was full alignment in that organization, from ownership to Nico Harrison to his staff to coach Jason Kidd,” Charania stated, confirming Barkley’s suspicion.
It should also be noted that Patrick Dumont had have had final say in these matters or at the very least, a substantial say. So, when the trade went down, it’s quite clear that Dumont was on board to a certain extent.
Above all, the blame for everything wrong with the Mavericks cannot be placed on Harrison alone. The Mavs are 3-8 and 14th in the West, but it’s with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving injured, and Kidd playing Flagg in a position he’s not comfortable in.
The Mavericks franchise looks like it needs a complete overhaul, or at least a breath of fresh air to get rid of all the negativity. Whether that’s in the form of a new head coach, a big trade that shakes up the roster, or a huge GM appointment, remains to be seen.
