Inside the NBA reacts to Nico Harrison getting fired by the Mavericks

Mystery misses North and South America and all the ships at sea. Let’s go to press. They call him the Joker, but what Nicola Joic is doing to opposing teams is no laughing matter. The Denver Nuggets cracker jackack player has triple doubles in six of 10 games so far this season, while the entire rest of the league has just 10. The record for most in the season, Russell Westbrook had 42. Jokic is averaging 25,3 and 12 as the Nuggets are a contender in the West once again. Thanks to the stack counting mountain in the mile high city. The cream of the crop, the beast in the east, the Detroit Pistons firing on all seven, the point guard cade has been the Cunningham and eggsman in Mottown, putting up a 46-point triple double on Monday to lead Detroit to a seventh straight victory. Remember, just two seasons ago, the Pistons won 14 games. They improved by 30 wins last year, and now they’re off to a 9-2 start early in the campaign. And dog my cats, they really did it. Nico is no mo in Dallas as the Mavericks said so long partner to their basketball decision maker. 9 months after he traded Luca to LA, it felt more and more like Harrison became a lone man in a lone star state. Since Harrison discarded Donic, the Mavs are 16 and 28, including just three and eight this season. Being a Mavs fan of late has been tougher than a $2 steak. As always, whether it’s hoopers or bloopers, you’ll see it all right here on this week in the NBA. Shaq, how you looking at that Nico Harrison situation? Did it have to happen? May, listen, it’s part of the business when you’re in a powerful position. Uh sometimes you become what’s known as the scapegoat when things don’t go well. You know, uh he’s done a lot of things there, but he will always be remembered for trading Luca Dantes. Like I I remember how amazed we was when we found out he got traded. And listen, you know, he kind of know he kind of got his marbles back when he, you know, he drafted Cooper, but they’re not playing well right now. So, you know, ownership is going to look down, say it’s the general manager’s fault. General manager is going to look down, say it’s the coach’s fault. Coach going to say it’s the players fault. But my point is when you’re in that position, this is what happens in this business. And it’s certainly not the team, Kenny, that he envisioned putting on the floor. You got Cooper flag, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and no Davis, he’s been hurt. Kyrie, of course, still out. Well, you know, extended period. The whispers had been there for Nico. The whispers when you trade obviously not only a franchise player, but a generational type talent and more than just whispers from the fan base. That’s for sure. You know, but a lot of things have to still happen for that to possibly have been a bad trade. one the guy’s on the cover of what is it? Shape magazine in Shape Magazine. Like that’s the guy he was asking for for him to be in Dallas. The that same person that he is today. He wasn’t that. So he gets traded. Secondly, the now the Mavericks start losing because they’re hurt. They don’t have the lineup. You know Kyrie Irving, no Anthony Davis. So now you you got you have your best number one pick playing point guard when he’s a great small forward. He’s not even playing his natural position. But what the kicker was was that the Lakers are hurt and they’re winning. So now that’s when the whisperers become yells. So all of those things are just happening at the same time. If the Mavericks come back, Chuck, and and all of a sudden Kyrie comes back and Anthony Davis, they could still be a Western Conference finalist in in in the end of the season. And then what would we say? So we don’t even know if this was a good trade based on the Dallas side. We know it was for the Lakers, but we don’t know it for the Dallas side. Well, first of all, Nico’s a friend of mine, so obviously I’m biased. Nico got screwed 100%. Because if you go back and look at this thing, the trades he made three years ago is the reason the Mavericks made it to the finals with PJ Washington, Daniel Gaffford. He drafts line. The Mavs were a mediocre team until he made those trades. He was doing a good job. that he had the bad luck with Anthony Davis never being available basically. But the thing that bothers me is he’s just being made a scapegoat. Listen, Shaq knows this. Kenny knows this. There’s no way in the world Nico Harrison had the power to trade Luca Donic unless the owner of the team sign. Yes. What? Like that was his call. So, I feel bad the way Nico is being made a scapegoat, but anybody who knows anything about basketball know good and well Nico Harrison did not have enough power to trade Luca Dunes. So, that’s the thing that bothers me. Uh, he’s had a streak of bad luck with Anthony Davis and Kyrie both getting hurt, but the premise of this trade is Nico Harrison. I hear all these fools and idiots on TV talk Nico Harrison going to be the guy who traded Luca Dunic. No, the Dallas Maverick organization made that call. But you also you also you said earlier, let’s let’s can we see the Dumont statement by the way here in the wake of this? No one associated with the Mavericks organization is happy with the start of what we all believed would be a promising season. You have high expectations for the Mavericks and I share them with you. When the results don’t meet expectations, it’s my responsibility to act. I’ve made the decision to part ways with general manager Nico Harrison. Well, I don’t believe any of that. Number one, I mean, he made first of all, we’ve only played 10 games. The Mavs haven’t been whole and probably since last year. Since last year, so when Kyrie Irving gets Kyrie Irving get back, we got to wait and see what they are. AD has played five of their 11 games. Yeah. But even going back to last year, he missed basically half all all the season since the trade. So, it was really unfortunate, but for this dude to come out and say uh like like he had nothing to do with the Nico Harrison trade, excuse me, with the Luca Dante trade, that’s just bogus in my opinion. Um and so, Nico Harrison out. Um and again, I know what you’re saying, Chuck, but he will be remembered as the guy who traded Luca Don 100%. But Ernie, you know, Shaq and Kennon know and I know he could not make that trade himself. And he just he just and listen, he going to be the scapegoat. I wish the owner would have the courage to come out and says that was my call. [Music]

On Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny “The Jet” Smith react to the Dallas Mavericks firing GM Nico Harrison.

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50 comments

  2. The only other recent trade you can somewhat compare this to is Karl Anthony Towns for randle el, another player, and a first round pick. Off of that alone this trade in value is b.s. I mean Kevin Durant has been traded twice, one package alone included 5 1st rounders and 3 quality starting players. I can understand owners not wanting to pay supermax contracts. Which is a fairly new thing as there have been only 22 handed out so far. I wholeheartedly believe this was the NBA not the mavericks who orchestrated this deal since ALL trades go through the commissioners office. Anybody with basic common knowledge would've laughed at this and been vetoed. The NBA forced this trade and gave em the the #1 pick to do it….

  6. Don't feel bad for Nico getting fired Chuck, He shouldn't even got the job at the first place.
    If you wanna talk about how he got fired then talk about how he got hired too, he ain't qualify. That's the man that push Stephen Curry from Nike to Under Armor while he works at Nike to recruit.

  7. The reason Chuck is not blaming Nico is because Nico is the fall guy for a trade that was arranged by the NBA. Luka was traded for the benefit of the NBA to get him to most popular international NBA team simply as a way to generate more $ for league. Again, Nico takes the blame. The trade made no sense for a reason. Cooper Flagg was payback by NBA to Mavs.

  13. Why do we have to wait for the owner to admit what he did? It's obvious! If the general public sees Nico as the Luka trader, then the problem lies with the general public. We can't be that simple minded. Or can we? 🤔

  19. People are being so strangely nice. Nico's decision was stupid. Who cares about the trades three years ago. He decided he was the man. Nobody who doesn't actually play is the man.

  21. Nico got screwed lolol no no he didn't he was doing a good job yes but that turned terrible when he gave away a generational taken for nothing and is a walking injury period and not nearly as good or young as luka who delivered Nico to the finals the yr prior he wanted this trade and sold it to the owner and Dumont and are here now

  22. When has Mavs ownership dodged responsibility? Nico presented, they trusted, and they lost. Boss can’t fire himself. Feels pretty cut and dry what happening

  25. He let TWO franchise players go, Luka and Brunson, trade for a dude who is notoriously always hurt in AD, smh. Much less great role players in Derrick Jones, Grimes, Hardaway, Dinwiddie, etc. Even with that, most teams lose their best two players would look mediocre at best (Minus OKC, lol)

  26. Defending Nico is ridiculous. It's pretty clear that the Gafford and Washington trades looked good because they were playing with Luka. Chuck is completely off on this one.

  28. Had the trades went well would y’all being praising the owner or Nico? There’s your answer

    I get y’all defending the black man but come on man we all heard the report from reputable sources like Shams that Nico orchestrated this whole trade. Y’all need to call spades spades and keep it moving.

  32. Chuck is talking nonsense… The owners can't fire themselves. It was Nico s job to make sure that trade would pin out well considering they were getting rid of a generational talent.
    Sir Charles, you sound like those idiot you often call out 😂

  33. Barkley, Stephen A and Perkins all lied pretending this wasn't an all time bad trade because Nico is their friend. All-time career embarrassing moment for Chuck risking his integrity

  35. Chuck is full of it…. What owner do you know that's going to fire himself? Nico proposed the idea to the new owner who let him live or die by it!!! Funny Nico didn't propose that trade to Mark Cuban, or he'd have been fired sooner than this….

  40. This was bad, I’m starting think these fellas ought to start thinking about retirement. As they don’t even watch basketball when they’re not working. Big credibility loss playing the victim card on the worst trade in NBA history though. Gonna watch the crew on Prime more.

  42. Nico is out, and let’s be real. Mavs fans saw it coming. They wanted it. They chanted it.

    This is the same GM who made the move that still doesn’t feel real. Trading Luka Doncic, the face of the franchise, for Anthony Davis…and 14 forgettable games. Fourteen.

    Luka’s already suited up 35 times for the Los Angeles Lakers, lighting up the West, while Dallas sits at 3–8, staring up from the bottom even after landing the No. 1 pick in the draft.

    Remember when Nico said he was “retooling for the future”?

    That future turned into missed playoffs after an NBA Finals run, chemistry meltdowns, and a roster that never clicked.

    The man went from “innovative Nike exec” to “public enemy No. 1” in Dallas faster than anyone could’ve imagined.

  43. As Dallas fan, ideally you get rid of Dumont and the Adelsons and get owners that care about fans and players. Unfortunately it's way easier to get rid of a GM than those other people.
    While Harrison did make good calls in getting Kyrie, Gafford, PJ… He built a great team around Luka… and the ripped the heart Out of that team. He also got rid of Luka's favourite trainer and the Mavs Icon Casey Smith. That was absolute nonsense.

  44. When that trade involving Luka happened, about 99% of fans believed it was a terrible decision for Dallas. And when a move looks that questionable, it’s normal to wonder if there were motives behind it that only the organization—or even the league—understood at the time. But with how things turned out, the gamble didn’t pay off. Dallas took a risk… and it clearly backfired.

    And if there were motives behind the scenes, people will be watching even more closely from here on out. The NBA’s credibility is built on transparency and trust. One more decision that feels forced, manipulated, or unnatural won’t just shake a franchise—it could damage the integrity of the entire league.

    This isn’t about blame. It’s about accountability.
    Because when the fans lose trust… the game loses its foundation.

  45. Look at bigger picture. It's not Nico or the owner. NBA management did this for views, clicks, contravercy and just to get people talking again. They rigged drafts for Mavs as a payout. It's a big circus and fans are the clowns.

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