Does Nico Harrison deserve the hate he receives? Did he deserve to be fired? Is he the worst thing to happen to the Dallas Mavericks since they didn’t re-sign Steve Nash in 2004? The short answer is yes.

Harrison was first hired as the Mavs General Manager in 2021, despite having no experience with managing a basketball team or managing anything. His previous work efforts include pharmaceutical sales and a long career with Nike, and he eventually became Vice President of North American basketball operations. While his job at Nike did put him into contact with the NBA world, he still had shortcomings in his position. When presenting a sales pitch to Steph Curry, he mistakenly called him “Seth”, referring to his brother, and his presentation was originally intended for Kevin Durant, which Harrison retooled when he learned he was pitching to Steph. This botched presentation led to Curry choosing Under Armor for his merchandise line, which generates around $100 million per year.

After losing Nike a projected $1.2 billion, it only makes sense that he should be given the keys to a 5.1 billion dollar franchise. Harrison has something of a magic touch when it comes to trades, that being the players he trades immediately become some of the best stars in the NBA. He traded Kristaps Porzingis despite the fact that he had three 20-point per game seasons in a row with the Mavs. Porzingis went on to be a pivotal piece of a championship team, the ‘23-’24 Boston Celtics, who notably beat Dallas for the championship. Harrison also let Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, who now averages close to 30 points per game for the New York Knicks. As a cherry on top, he traded away Quentin Grimes, who proceeded to have three 40-point games immediately after the trade.

Of course, the final nail in the coffin came when Harrison traded away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers who had just previously carried the team to the finals while putting up a 34-point triple-double. This decision has absolutely no basis and there is no way to justify it. It is already one of the most infamous trades in sports history mostly due to Harrison’s incompetence. There have been many speculations about why this trade happened. Harrison cited Luka’s poor physique and lackluster defense as his reason for being traded, but those reasons are in no way substantial enough to trade easily a top three player in the league. There is no justifiable reason for trading Luka Doncic short of conspiracy theories, as the internet has been quick to discuss. 

Every Mavs game since the trade, the stadium has been filled with signs and screams of one phrase: “FIRE NICO.” Harrison’s fate was sealed the second the trade went through. While Mavericks shareholders likely wanted to see how the trade would play out. The team’s abysmal start to the season was the last straw needed to give Harrison the boot.