Mavericks Governors Reportedly Troubled by 'Negativity' Amid Nico Harrison Buzz
The fallout from last season's incomprehensible Luka Dončić has persisted into the start of the 2025-26 season, thanks in large part to the team's 3-7 record.
And it might just have general manager Nico Harrison on the hot seat.
According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, "With the Mavericks already in a significant hole when it comes to simply reaching the playoffs, league sources tell The Stein Line that the rising and virtually ceaseless negativity that surrounds the franchise is indeed wearing on and troubling ownership."
Stein added that while team governor Patrick Dumont "seemingly prefers to give Harrison more time, contemplating whether an in-season change is the wisest course for the Mavericks to try to forge ahead post-Dončić has become unavoidable at the highest levels of the organization. ... If Dumont eventually concludes that a mid-stream change is the best course—while it is by no means clear at this juncture where the Mavericks would turn in terms of a long-term successor—it's believed that step would be taken not only for its vibe shift potential and as a means to try to win back alienated fans... but also based on the premise that the front office executive who conceived and pushed for the widely criticized Dončić deal can no longer be the one trying to pilot the organization past it."
It can't be helping matters that Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers have opened the season 7-3.
The Mavericks were bailed out after last season's trade, to a degree, after they surprisingly won the NBA draft lottery and selected Duke superstar Cooper Flagg. A bit of patience with this year's team would be justified in general, given that Kyrie Irving is still recovering from a torn ACL and won't play until next season. There's also the fact that Flagg (13.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.2 SPG) is naturally going to have an adjustment period at the NBA level.
But the Dončić trade was met with almost universal vitriol in Dallas, even if the Flagg selection offered some temporary hope. Expecting fans to have a long leash for the roster that Harrison put together was probably wishful thinking—he'll always be blamed for sending away a fan favorite.
The Mavericks can't really afford to trend in this direction for much longer, in other words. The possibility of the Mavs missing the playoffs after willingly ditching the best and most beloved player they've had since Dirk Nowitzki is not going to help mend fences between the franchise and its scorned fans.
From that perspective, the franchise may deem moving on from Harrison as a necessary olive branch (though some fans will probably be quick to note that Dumont also had to sign off on the Dončić trade). It will be a fascinating storyline going forward, especially if the Mavs continue to struggle.
