Nico Harrison Reportedly 'In Good Spirits' After Firing, What is Ex-Mavs GM's Plan?

Nico Harrison is "in good spirits" and planning to spend time with his wife and daughters after being fired 11 games into his fourth season as the Dallas Mavericks' general manager, NBA insider Chris Haynes said Tuesday.

"He's in good spirits, man. He's going to take some time to be with himself and his family and just get away from everything," Haynes said on NBA TV. "It's been a tough situation.

"I think when you look at his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks, you had some good times, definitely had some bad times. He guided the team to the NBA Finals, and they have visions of getting further than that but ultimately his tenure is going to be defined by the Luka Doncic trade and what he got in return and other people will say well, what he didn't get in return. So, it was a tough situation, but something we saw coming definitely over this past week or so."

The Mavericks announced Tuesday that Harrison, who contributed to constructing the team that made it to the 2024 NBA Finals before dismantling that roster by trading Luka Dončić last season, had been dismissed after a 3-8 start to the 2025-26 campaign.

Mavs owner Patrick Dumont said in an open letter to fans that "no one associated with the Mavericks organization is happy" with that season-opening record.

"You have high expectations for the Mavericks, and I share them with you," Dumont wrote. "When the results don't meet expectations, it's my responsibility to act."

Dallas has struggled over the early stretch of the season not just because Kyrie Irving is continuing to recover from a torn ACL but because Anthony Davis, the centerpiece of the return Harrison brought to Dallas in exchange for sending Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, has been sidelined for most of the last seven games with a calf injury.

Dumont will hope to see his team bounce back down the stretch, given the hope that Davis and Irving will be able to play alongside 2025 top pick Cooper Flagg for the first time later this season.

What Dumont can't change, however, is Dončić's departure from Dallas. A fan told The Athletic's Devon Henderson that Dumont apologized to a fan for the trade the night before Harrison's dismissal.