Nico Harrison, Mavs Haven't Discussed New Contract Since Luka Doncic, Lakers Trade
There's no indication that Nico Harrison's status as Dallas Mavericks general manager is in jeopardy right now, but team doesn't appear to be in a rush to extend his deal in the aftermath of the Luka Dončić trade.
Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, the Mavs and Harrison haven't discussed a new contract with two years remaining on his current deal.
The report comes amid renewed "Fire Nico" chants from Mavericks fans at American Airlines Center during Friday's loss to the Washington Wizards.
Despite the fan frustration in Dallas, there doesn't appear to be a lot of pressure being put on Harrison by Mavs ownership.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported in May that team governor Patrick Dumont was "sticking by" Harrison as the "lead decision-maker in the Mavericks' current front office structure" after taking multiple trips to Dallas after their season ended with a play-in tournament loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Mavericks most recently extended Harrison's contract in June 2024 right before they were set to play Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Terms of the deal were not publicly disclosed.
It may or not be notable that head coach Jason Kidd, who got an extension a few weeks before Harrison in May 2024, signed another new deal with the Mavericks on Oct. 15.
Kidd had leverage because he was at least being considered by the New York Knicks during the summer when they were trying to fill their vacancy.
Harrison, by comparison, was given a potential bailout in the draft lottery when the Mavericks won the No. 1 pick and the right to select Cooper Flagg. The results for Flagg haven't been great so far, but he has only played two games and been tasked with being their primary point guard despite never playing the position before entering the NBA.
The fact that the Mavs were non-competitive in their season opener against the San Antonio Spurs, a 125-92 loss, and were defeated on Friday by a Wizards team starting three players aged between 20-21 presumably isn't helping ease the fan anxiety in Dallas about Harrison after trading Dončić in February.
Dallas will go for its first win of the season on Sunday when it hosts the Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Center.
