Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
After the blockbuster trade of Luka Donic for Anthony Davis was made with the Los Angeles Lakers, back in February of 2025, some fans were left in utter shock, while others were furious with the trade. After all, it was Luka Doncic who was traded, the second best player in the franchise’s history. One of the main people who called for the trade was Mavericks’ GM Nico Harrison, who was by the team in 2021. When asked why the Mavericks decided to trade their 26-year-old superstar, the reason behind was the concerning factors regarding Doncic’s conditioning, and his discipline off the court. While the Mavs’ front office may have agreed to that, the fans did not see the see vision at all.
Then came the death threats, the disappointment, some protests, and “Fire Nico,” chants from the Mavs fans. While that may have quieted down for now, if you ask the Mavs fans, they may probably have still not forgotten about the trade yet. After the trade, while Anthony Davis has looked great so far, injuries to him, Kyrie Irving, and their role players, prevented them from making the playoffs this season. And we still ask the question about if the trade was even worth it to begin with. The masses were upset, most likely because the Mavs went to the NBA Finals last season, and who knows what would have happened this season if Doncic were to stay at Dallas? Regardless, the trade is now a done deal and Luka Doncic is now a Laker, which is still something that many cannot fathom.
Nico traded a Luka Doncic who went 8-3 against the 2 WCF teams and the only competition (Boston) is already eliminated.
The Mavs would’ve won it all. Great job, Nico!! 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/nuAkZKjGd7
— HeroOfTheDay (@Hero_OfThe_Day) May 18, 2025
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With that being said, have the “fire Nico,” chants been working? Let’s find out more.
Discussing Nico Harrison’s Job Security With the Dallas Mavericks
Even though the Mavs fanbase has begged for Nico Harrison’s firing, nothing much has changed so far. While Harrison made some changes to the training staff after he fired performance director Keith Belton and head athlete trainer Dionne Calhoun, there have been no indications from the front office about Nico Harrison’s firing for now.
According to NBA Insider Marc Stein of the DLLS network, the Mavericks’ owner Patrick Dumont made multiple visits to Dallas and those visits are only adding up to believe that Dumont will be sticking by Harrison’s side, despite all the criticism he’s faced in the last 4 months.
It is also worth noting that the Dallas Mavericks secured the No.1 overall pick in the NBA Lottery and that might have proven to be the saving grace from the under fire GM, Harrison. This is a huge win for the Mavericks as they get to draft Cooper Flagg as the No.1 overall pick, who is considered to be a generational talent coming out of Duke.
While Cooper Flagg may have reduced some of the heat that Harrison is facing, the Mavs fans may still not be ready to fully move on from Doncic, who while playing for the Lakers, led them to the third seed in the West. The Lakers were eventually knocked out of the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but are fully committed to building a formidable team around Doncic for next season and the years to come.
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