There was a time when Nico Harrison looked like an admirable general manager. He brought in Dereck Lively II during the 2023 NBA Draft and landed Kyrie Irving midway through that season. The next year, he acquired Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington ahead of the trade deadline. That roster advanced to the 2024 NBA Finals before falling to the Boston Celtics.
But all those positive moves were eventually overshadowed by one disastrous trade that felt like something out of NBA 2K. Months after making the NBA Finals, Harrison sent Dallas franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic away in a deal for the older and injury-prone Anthony Davis.
They may have Cooper Flagg now, but the Mavericks are still back at square one. Davis, the main guy brought in to replace Luka, is already with the Washington Wizards. Harrison is gone, but Mavericks fans will feel that decision for a long time.
Mark Cuban, who brought Harrison into Dallas, is also feeling the fallout. He said hiring Harrison was a mistake.
“Yeah [I regret hiring him],” Cuban said. “In hindsight now, it was a mistake, but whatever.”
Mark Cuban says hiring Nico Harrison was a mistake 😭😭
(h/t @TheNBABase)
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) March 12, 2026
