What Are Nico Harrison's Top Potential Landing Spots After Mavs Firing, Luka Trade?
Just nine months after orchestrating the trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, Nico Harrison's tenure as general manager of the Dallas Mavericks has come to an end.
Per ESPN's Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon, the Mavericks will announce Harrison's firing on Tuesday with the team off to a 3-8 start this season.
The Mavs have played 44 games since the Dončić trade became official on Feb. 2. They have the seventh-worst record in the NBA during that span (16-28), ahead of only the Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards.
Harrison was hired by Dallas as general manager and president of basketball operations in June 2021. His tenure included some high marks, including an appearance in the Western Conference Finals in his first season and a trip to the NBA Finals during the 2023-24 season.
Ultimately, though, it was hard to envision a way for Harrison to save his job barring a deep playoff run last season or a hot start this season after landing Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.
The big question now for Harrison is, where does his career go from here?
NBA Front Office Advisor
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Given how much of a disaster the Dončić trade was regarded as by people within the league as soon as it went down, it's hard to imagine an NBA team brings him in to a position with any real decision-making power.
Harrison's job as general manager of the Mavericks was his first in the NBA. He did have a brief pro career overseas in Belgium and Japan, but never suited up for an NBA club.
It's a very unique career pathway that he took, but it's hard to say he was in over his head because of the success Dallas had during his first three seasons.
The idea of a team looking at Harrison as the guy who put together the 2023-24 Mavs by adding Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington to flesh out a roster around Dončić that catapulted them to the NBA Finals and wanting to add him to their room would make sense, as long as he doesn't have authority to execute any trades or signings.
Return to Nike
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Prior to being hired by Dallas, Harrison spent 19 years at Nike and worked his way up to vice president of North American basketball operations.
It's not unreasonable to think that he could return to the company in some capacity, especially since he was well-regarded for his ability to make and maintain relationships with NBA players during his original tenure with the apparel giant.
Media Position
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The other obvious potential gig for Harrison, especially if he wants to rehab his image for another job with an NBA team, is to work in media as a television analyst.
When you look at how many different broadcast partners the NBA has with its new media rights contracts that went into effect at the start of this season, it's not hard to imagine at least one of the me opening up an analyst spot to add Harrison given his name recognition.
Even if Harrison can't immediately land a job on television, he could start by making the media rounds as a podcast guest, doing radio hits and work his way up over the course of this season or possibly wait until the start of the 2026-27 season.
It's really difficult to assess what path Harrison is going to take next because his entry into the NBA was so unique as someone with no experience in the league, despite working with many high-profile stars at Nike, and the fact that his resume will always be stained because of how badly—and swiftly—the biggest trade of his tenure as a general manager blew up in his face.
