Every Nico Harrison Trade, Draft Pick Made Before Firing as Mavericks GM
After the Dallas Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison on Tuesday, many will be evaluating the job he did in his four-plus seasons with the franchise.
ESPN's Bobby Marks provided a full list of trades and acquisitions that the Mavs made during Harrison's tenure:
Harrison presided over five drafts with the Mavs, though the team didn't have a selection in 2021. The list of players he drafted is as follows:
- 2022: Wendell Moore Jr., Jaden Hardy
- 2023: Dereck Lively II, Olivier-Maxence Prosper
- 2024: Melvin Ajinça
- 2025: Cooper Flagg
ESPN's Tim MacMahon pointed out that veteran center Dwight Powell is the only player on the Dallas roster who was with the franchise before Harrison was hired in 2021. Harrison appeared to have some early success with his wheeling and dealing when the team made it to the NBA Finals in 2024 and two Western Conference Finals appearances in three years, but things have quickly fallen apart.
The Mavs fell to 3-8 to start the 2025-26 season following Monday night's 116-114 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in front of their home fans at American Airlines Center. Harrison was once again subjected to "Fire Nico!" chants during the game, and Dallas reportedly is set to fulfill that demand.
ESPN's Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon reported that the Mavs will hold a set of meetings on Tuesday to officially fire Harrison and appoint executives Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi to lead basketball operations in the interim. It was just nine months ago that Harrison made the franchise-altering trade that sent star guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, kicking off a series of unfortunate events.
The Mavs have been without star point guard Kyrie Irving while he continues his recovery from a torn ACL suffered just a month after Doncic was traded last season. Star big man Anthony Davis, who headlined the returning trade package for Doncic, is currently sidelined with a calf injury. The loss of Dallas' two biggest stars has put an immense amount of pressure on 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, and the 18-year-old has understandably faced some rookie struggles throughout the year.
Firing Harrison is a short-term fix that will quiet the most vocal part of the Mavs fan base, but the team is facing an uncertain future while it tries to recover from the mistakes made during his ill-fated tenure.
