Nico Harrison timeline with Mavericks, from stunning Luka Doncic trade to 'Fire Nico' chants in Dallas

Contributing Writer
Nico Harrison timeline with Mavericks, from stunning Luka Doncic trade to 'Fire Nico' chants in Dallas image

The Dallas Mavericks have long been one of the NBA’s most competitive franchises, and that didn’t change much during Nico Harrison’s tenure as president of basketball operations.

The former Nike executive, however, began to earn a poor reputation with Mavericks fans in 2025, when he made the stunning decision to trade star guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers — not even a full year after Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals. Harrison had enjoyed success in his years of building the Mavericks, but that trade ultimately led to his firing.

In total, Harrison spent just over four seasons in charge of basketball operations in Dallas. It was an up-and-down stint, including two playoff trips, an NBA Finals appearance, arguably the most surprising trade in league history, and the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Here’s a full look at Harrison’s time with the Mavericks.

MORE: Why did the Mavericks fire GM Nico Harrison?

Nico Harrison timeline with Mavericks

Nico Harrison hired by Mavericks

On June 28, 2021, the Mavericks announced two major hirings: Jason Kidd as their next head coach and Nico Harrison as their new general manager. Harrison replaced Donnie Nelson, who had served as the team’s president of basketball operations for nearly two decades and helped build the Mavericks’ 2011 championship team. The Mavericks and Nelson had “mutually agreed to part ways” in 2021, ending his 24-year tenure in Dallas.

Harrison joined the Mavericks as a first-time NBA executive. He spent 19 years in Nike’s basketball division, including serving as the company’s vice president of North American operations, and had worked closely with stars such as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

“It’s a true honor to be the general manager of the Mavericks; an iconic franchise with a rich history not only within the NBA, but across sports," Harrison said in a statement upon his hiring, per Dallas Mavericks on SI. "I’m grateful for this rare opportunity and want to thank Mark and the rest of the organization for putting their trust in me to move the team to the next level.”

As Harrison joined the Mavericks, he faced a fairly simple goal: building around Doncic, who was 22 years old at the time but already a two-time All-Star.

On August 10, 2021, Harrison and the Mavericks announced Doncic had signed a record-setting five-year, $207 million extension with the franchise. He was set to remain a Maverick for years to come, and did play 3.5 more seasons in Dallas as the centerpiece of the roster.

Mavericks let Jalen Brunson walk in free agency

Before the Luka Doncic trade, one of the most controversial moves of Harrison’s tenure with the Mavericks was letting future New York Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson leave in free agency in 2022.

Brunson, who had emerged as a starter and secondary guard alongside Doncic, signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks — a deal that later proved to be a bargain for his talents. The Knicks were also penalized for engaging in discussions with Brunson before the free-agency period officially opened.

ESPN later reported that the Mavericks hadn't offered Brunson an extension the previous summer despite him expecting one, and Harrison and the front office later felt that Brunson's ties to the Knicks, including his family, were too much to overcome. By the time Dallas did provide an extension offer, Brunson had turned it down believing that he had "outgrown" that number, per ESPN.

The Knicks gave Brunson the money he desired, which wound up being a deal for them anyway, while the Mavericks lost a potential star guard alongside Doncic.

MORE: A look at the Mavs' recent history of losing superstars

Mavericks made NBA Finals appearance, Harrison extended

In Harrison’s first three seasons as Dallas’ GM, the team reached the conference finals twice, including a 2024 trip to the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. With Doncic leading the way, Harrison and the front office surrounded him with a strong supporting cast, including Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Derrick Jones Jr. And Derrick Lively II.

However, Dallas fell 4-1 to Boston in the Finals, with Doncic’s endurance and defensive ability questioned despite his offensive brilliance, as the Celtics handled the Mavericks with relative ease. Still, with a growing track record of playoff success, the Mavericks announced just before the 2024 NBA Finals that they had extended Harrison’s contract.

“Harrison has demonstrated his leadership and capabilities in the Dallas Mavericks organization,” team governor Patrick Dumont said in a press release. “His vision, along with his efforts on behalf of our players and staff, has propelled our team to two playoff appearances in three seasons and, of course, this year’s NBA Finals. We are proud to have him as part of our team for the long term, and we are excited to watch him continue to build on the foundation of success he has helped establish.”

After Dallas made the Finals, video emerged a Mavericks executive taking a beer out of Doncic's hands while the star was celebrating.

MORE: Everything to know about the Mavericks' new ownership structure

Luka Doncic stunning trade to Lakers

The defining move of Harrison’s tenure in Dallas came on the night of Feb. 2, 2025. In a deal executed entirely in secrecy, the Mavericks traded their franchise star, Luka Doncic, to the Lakers along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. In return, Dallas received Max Christie, Anthony Davis and a 2029 first-round pick. The trade eventually became part of a three-team deal, with the Utah Jazz acquiring Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick, and the Mavericks’ 2025 second-round selection.

Put simply, the trade stunned the NBA world, emerging as one of the most unexpected moves in league history. Doncic, 26, was one of the most talented offensive players the game had ever seen, boasting a Rookie of the Year award, five First-Team All-NBA selections, five All-Star appearances, a scoring title, a Finals trip, and a long list of highlights. Mavericks fans had grown attached to Doncic, his dominance on the court, and his role in the Dallas community.

"I believe that defense wins championships," Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told ESPN in a statement about the trade. "I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We're built to win now and in the future."

Reports in the aftermath of the stunning move indicated that it was Harrison who initiated trade talks with the Lakers, meeting with Rob Pelinka in-person to talk through the trade. Los Angeles was quickly moving toward a new era but without a young star to build around — Davis and LeBron James were both aging as the faces of the Lakers.

"Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come," Pelinka said in a statement at the time, per ESPN. "His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team. We will be relentless in building a roster around the on-court vision Coach Redick has for this basketball team and there is an unwavering commitment to that work to serve our loyal and dedicated fans. We are grateful for today and look forward to what's next."

In the hours after the trade, it was made clear that Harrison's motivation for trading Doncic was building a more all-around team and cutting ties with the guard's conditioning concerns, while the Lakers jumped on the chance to land a star in their prime. But Harrison quickly found himself at the center of controversy for not just trading Doncic, but failing to acquire what many thought would be fair compensation in return.

Harrison also said he did not tell Doncic a deal was coming until it was done.

"My guess is he probably doesn't want to talk to me," Harrison said of Doncic in the aftermath of the trade, per CBS Sports. "I understand why they would be shocked, initially," Harrison said."But I do believe that we positioned ourselves to win now and also win in the future. And that's ultimately the goal and why we're here. It's one of those things where it's my job to make the tough decisions that put our goals first and foremost."

Doncic later shared a message to fans on social media:

Nico Harrison explains Luka Doncic trade

Backlash to Harrison's trade exploded in Dallas. In addition to his "defense wins championships" comments, he addressed the media to explain the trade.

"There's some unique things about [Doncic's] contract that we had to pay attention to," Harrison said, per CBS Sports. "There's other teams that were loading up, that he was going to have -- he was going to be able to decide, make his own decisions of whether he wants to be here or not, whether we want to supermax him or not, and whether he wants to opt out. I think we had to take all that into consideration. I feel like we got out in front of what could've been a tumultuous summer."

In response to Mavericks fans who may not have liked the trade, Harrison apologized.

"I’m sorry they are frustrated," Harrison told  The Athletic's Christian Clark. "It’s something we believe in as an organization that’s going to make us better. We believed it sets us up to win not only now but in the future. And when we win, I believe the frustration will go away."

In a press conference where he opened up about the deal, Harrison also said he "did know that Luka was important to the fan base," but "I didn't quite know it to what level."

Doncic, meanwhile, opened up more about the trade later on.

“Sadness mostly. I was still in shock, crazy shock. I feel like my heart was broken, honestly,” Dončić said when asked about what he was feeling in April, per Pro Football Network.

Nico Harrison booed at Mavericks games

At virtually every Mavericks game in the following days, weeks and months after the Doncic trade, Harrison was subject to chants, boos and signs that called for him to be fired.

That included Harrison dealing with death threats from fans, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported, with security at the Mavericks' arena being increased.

Additionally, there were reportedly fans who were ejected from games due to "Fire Nico" signs and more targeting Harrison, per NBC DFW. There were even billboards and murals calling for Harrison's firing after the trade.

The chants and protests were most apparent in April, when Doncic's Lakers visited the Mavericks in Dallas. 

Doncic was also seen emotional before that game:

Players also commented on the chants, as they were constant enough to distract them from games.

"It was tough because they was doing it when they were shooting free throws and they did it when we were shooting free throws," center Daniel Gafford told ESPN. "I kind of felt that they kind of were overdoing it while we were shooting free throws. But who am I say? I was really focused on just tuning it out really.

"Guys were talking about it on the sidelines. I'm like, look, at the end of the day, the trade happened and the fans didn't like it. So they're still trying to cope with it, of course. Sometimes, the only way you can cope with stuff if you do it through communication. That's what they did tonight in the stands."

Even into the 2025-26 season, with Cooper Flagg in the fold but the Mavericks struggled, "Fire Nico" chants continued in Dallas, not long before he was let go.

Jake Fischer reported that people he spoke with in Dallas said it was "more difficult to get through home games and the deafening 'Fire Nico' chants than to play on the road."

Mavericks win Cooper Flagg lottery

After the Doncic-Davis trade, the Mavericks struggled with injuries through the rest of the 2024-25 season, falling in the Play-In Tournment. They found themselves in the lottery, missing the playoffs — but with under a 2% chance of landing the No. 1 pick.

The ping pong balls bounced in Harrison's favor though, and in a shocking Draft Lottery, the Mavericks came away with the No. 1 pick and right to selected Duke star Cooper Flagg.

Even at the Mavericks' draft watch party though, just before Flagg was picked, "Fire Nico" chants could be heard.

Still, the lottery luck was a plus for Harrison after the Doncic trade, at least partially patching the hurt of the deal with fans. Flagg, expected to become a young NBA star, joined Davis, Irving and more on a star-studded team.

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Nico Harrison fired by Mavericks

The Mavericks got off to a 3-8 start in the 2025-26 season with Flagg, as Irving and Davis both missed time with injuries. The slow start, and continued chants from fans to fire Harrison, proved to be too much.

Reports indicated by mid-November that Harrison's split from Dallas was a growing possibility. The morning of Nov. 11, 2025, The Athletic reported that "Harrison’s dismissal is viewed as an inevitability," as team governor Patrick Dumont had acknowledged to a fan in a Doncic Lakers jersey that the Doncic-Davis trade was a mistake.

"Basically Patrick was like, he feels horrible for the trade. And wants to make it up to us,” the fan told The Athletic. “That’s basically what he said. He accepted my apology for it as well.”

Those reports appeared to be the final straw for Harrison's time in Dallas. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on the morning of Nov. 11 that the Mavericks were expected to fire Harrison that day, after Dumont had take "accountability" and accepted the Doncic trade "as a mistake" in his fan interaction.

After the news became official, Dumont released a statement that said "this decision was critical to moving our franchise forward in a positive direction."

Contributing Writer

Contributing Writer