NBA Execs Sound Off on 'Luka-Sized Hole' on Mavs' Roster After Nico Harrison Firing

Nico Harrison is out as the Dallas Mavericks general manager.

The team fired Harrison on Tuesday after a rocky start to the season.

The firing comes months after Harrison made the decision to trade Luka Dončić, the face of the franchise, to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. Fellow NBA executives said the lack of Dončić has been a glaring issue this season.

"There is a Luka-sized hole on that roster," an executive from a Western Conference team said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

While Harrison made a controversial decision to trade Dončić last season, the Mavs were rewarded over the offseason when they landed the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, which they used to select a generational prospect in Cooper Flagg.

But so far, Flagg hasn't made much of a difference. Those around the league believe the Mavs are lacking a true point guard.

"There's no point guard. You don't have a floor leader," a scout from an Eastern Conference team said, per MacMahon. "That's the first problem. Then you're trying to make a guy who isn't a point guard a point guard."

There were a number of guards available in free agency this offseason, yet Harrison and Dallas didn't exactly capitalize, signing D'Angelo Russell to fill in for the injured Kyrie Irving.

"Remarkable that Nico did not acquire a good guard this summer so they could win some games," an exec from an Eastern Conference team said. "That was such low-hanging fruit."

The Mavericks will now look to hit the reset button after a 3-8 start to the 2025-26 campaign. The vibes may not be great in Dallas after what has transpired over the last year, but the fans who have chanted "Fire Nico" since February now have their wish.