Enough was enough. The Dallas Mavericks made the move everybody thought was inevitable since this past February. They fired general manager Nico Harrison on Tuesday, Nov. 11. This comes only nine months after he made the controversial trade to ship Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

It’s a move the Mavericks had to make. Fanbase morale was at its lowest that a professional sports team has seen sans relocation. Each home game, the Dallas crowd would hijack the game with ‘Fire Nico!’ chants. To the point that Mavericks players preferred to play on the road.

After Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont was seen talking to a Doncic fan courtside, he decided to fire Harrison. That’s the first step of a long healing process. Of course, trading away an NBA superstar in their prime just never happens. Doncic has played like an MVP candidate so far this season. He led Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals.

Meanwhile, Anthony Davis has struggled to remain healthy. He was the grand prize of the blockbuster trade. Kyrie Irving continues to rehab from a torn ACL. Harrison won’t get a chance to see his vision of those two veteran All-Star players working together.

As it turns out, the Mavericks’ luck landing Cooper Flagg with the 2025 NBA draft No. 1 pick only bought Harrison a few more months. With his championship window plan now erased, Dallas can begin to build around the 18-year-old.

So, how does Harrison’s firing affect the Oklahoma City Thunder? Look a few years down the line.

Surprise, surprise, the Thunder own draft capital from the Mavericks. They acquired Dallas’ 2028 first-round pick swap rights. In exchange, the Mavericks were given a 2024 first-round pick. That pick was relayed to the Washington Wizards to acquire Daniel Gafford.

As most know, Gafford helped the Mavericks reach the 2024 NBA Finals. He was one of the post-trade deadline acquisitions that season that complemented Doncic and Irving. He’s still in Dallas, but could be moved sooner rather than later if they fall down the standings.

Zooming out, it looks like the Mavericks are in the infancy stages of a rebuild. And if not, they surely will be by 2028. By then, Davis will be 35 years old and Irving 36 years old. Good luck with that. Even if Flagg lives up to his hype, he’ll only be 21 years old.

As the Thunder enjoy being in a lengthy championship window, they could replenish their depth with young and cap-friendly talent. It’s already happened in these past two drafts. The Houston Rockets gifted them Nikola Topic with the 2024 No. 12 pick and the Miami Heat handed them Thomas Sorber with the 2025 No. 15 pick.

It could happen once again in the 2026 NBA draft. The Thunder own the LA Clippers’ first-round swap rights and the Utah Jazz’s top-eight protected first-round pick.

But 2028’s Dallas bet looks juicier than most. That’s still so far away, but Harrison’s firing means the Mavericks are ready to face the reality that they’re back in a rebuild. And in the NBA, who knows how long it takes to navigate through that unknown and scary journey?

It’s not impossible to think the Mavericks will be a bad team two seasons from now. And if that happens, the Thunder could be in line for another high lottery pick without needing to lift a finger. That should scare the rest of the NBA as they chase a second NBA championship.