Not even one year after they made one of the most controversial trades in NBA history, the Dallas Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison on November 11. Harrison had been in the hot seat for most of the Mavs’ fanbase since he dealt five-time All-NBA First Team superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last February in a trade for Anthony Davis.
Since Harrison’s shocking deal, Davis has only played in 14 out of 49 possible games for Dallas. The big man’s injury history has come back to bite him in the worst way possible, and his absence has greatly contributed to Dallas’ 4-10 start this season. The current state of the franchise left Mavs owner Patrick Dumont with no choice but to take action and fire Harrison.
Despite the general cloud of negativity surrounding Harrison among basketball fans and media members, one former All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year spoke out in defense of Harrison following his departure from Dallas.
Golden State Warriors legend Draymond Green recently spoke on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, about the players Harrison put together for the Mavs roster never staying healthy and having a chance to play together. After all, Harrison had designed a squad that included Davis, Kyrie Irving, and other players like Derrick Lively and Daniel Gafford who have missed a large part of this season due to injury. Davis, Irving, and Lively all missed extended time last season, which helped Dallas luck into the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.
With young basketball sensation Cooper Flagg now on the team, the Mavs still haven’t been able to play even close to full strength with their potentially generational rookie added to the mix.
“The team that Nico (Harrison) constructed to win a championship hasn’t been on the court, so I find it crazy that everybody is just gonna act like Kyrie Irving is this easily replaceable guy … AD, for a better part of the last two years, has been extremely healthy before getting to Dallas. Kyrie Irving, since being in Dallas, has been pretty healthy. So miss me with the injury history stuff … I don’t buy that,” Green said.
“You all just want to go point the finger at Nico because that was a storyline, so let’s make that a storyline again. That sh-t is whack to me. So next year, if they come back with the full team that Nico intended to be out there and they have success … then what?”
Green made a valid point about the ‘what-if’ aspect of Harrison’s intended Mavs lineup, but Doncic’s MVP-level averages of 34.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 8.9 assists for a 10-4 Lakers squad that has been without LeBron James certainly haven’t helped Mavs fans get over Doncic’s absence.
In his letter to Mavs fans following Harrison’s exit, Dumont didn’t hide his disappointment in how things have played out for Dallas this season. Only time will tell if Davis and Irving can help right the ship when they eventually join Flagg and his teammates on the court this season.