Draymond Green Defends Nico Harrison's Legacy After Mavs Firing, 'S--t is Wack to Me'

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green doesn't believe the Dallas Mavericks gave general manager Nico Harrison enough time to put his roster plan into action before reportedly deciding to dismiss him.

"Y'all just wanna go point the finger at Nico because that was a story line. Now let's make that a story line again," Green said on Tuesday's episode of the Draymond Green Show. "That s--t is whack to me.

"So, next year, they come back, their full team that Nico intended to be out there, and they have success. Then what?"

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday the Mavericks are expected to fire Harrison, nine months after he traded Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis and four since he selected Cooper Flagg at the top of the 2025 NBA draft.

The Mavericks are off to a 3-8 start to the 2025-26, during which Davis has missed time due to injury while Kyrie Irving continues recovering from his torn ACL.

Green asked on his podcast why the Mavericks had pointed the blame toward Harrison and not other team leaders like head coach Jason Kidd.

"The team that he's constructed to go win a championship hasn't been on the court," Green said about Harrison. "Nobody assumed Kyrie Irving would tear his ACL. AD started out with the eye, he's had the injury as of late. The team hasn't really been out there.

"And I find it crazy that everybody's just going to act like Kyrie Irving is this easily replaceable guy, that him not being out there does not matter. Do you see the Indiana Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton? They look like a completely different team."

Green added that he doesn't believe the Mavericks gave their team enough time to develop around Flagg, who has so far had an up-and-down start to his rookie season.

"Guess what teams that get the No. 1 pick usually look like the next year? Trash," Green said. "You're going to play that No. 1 pick, and although they may have a ton of potential, they've got to learn the NBA game. And that takes time, mistakes, but you have to play them."

This isn't the first time Harrison has received support from Green, who previously defended the Mavericks' side of the Dončić trade in a February episode of his podcast.

"Now Nico is bringing in his guy, and saying, 'I'mma swing for the fences. And if I fail, I fail. But if I fail, I'm doing it my way,'" Green said about Harrison's trade last February. "But you've got to respect someone who's willing to take that stance."

Kidd recently indicated the Mavericks could get Irving back on the court as soon as December, although Davis' health remains up in the air after five straight games missed due to injury.

Either way, the Mavs will likely have to wait at least a month before the team can expect to field Flagg alongside Irving and Davis for the first time.