Udonis Haslem thinks trading for Giannis would end the “Fire Nico” chants: “If you bring Giannis in, then nobody ain’t saying nothing” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has been the most maligned executive in the NBA this season. After Harrison shockingly traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last February, all he’s heard from the Mavericks faithful has been the “Fire Nico” chants.
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The “Fire Nico” chants became a constant battlecry at the American Airlines Center throughout the remainder of the 2024-25 season. And with many Dallas fans still not over losing Luka, it’s likely going to carry over to next season.
But former Miami Heat team captain Udonis Haslem believes there is one move the Mavs can make this summer to stop the “Fire Nico” chants: acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks.
“What Giannis, 30? That’s basically in your prime,” said Haslem on The OGs Show. “He’s basically in his prime and I understand, you know, as great as Cooper Flagg has the ability to be, we know what Giannis is. If people was like ‘Yeah man, they run Nico’s a** out of town.’ If they run him out of town for trading Luka, if you bring Giannis in, then nobody ain’t saying nothing.”
Fans will forget about the Luka trade if the Mavs get Giannis
To be clear here, the Bucks have not said that they are putting Giannis on the trading block, at least not yet. But after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported last month that “The Greek Freak'” is entertaining thoughts about playing in another city, the Giannis trade talks have started.
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With Dallas owning the No. 1 overall pick in this month’s 2025 NBA Draft, the Mavericks have perhaps the best asset in a potential Antetokounmpo swap. And if, somehow, they can pull off a trade to acquire the two-time NBA MVP, UD believes that Mavericks fans will finally stop calling for Harrison’s head.
Adding Antetokounmpo to a team that already has Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis makes Dallas an instant championship contender, one that is better than their 2024 team with Doncic. If Nico can complete the Giannis deal and keep big men Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, then the rest of the league is looking at a defensive juggernaut.
KG also wants the Mavs to trade the No. 1 pick
Like Haslem, Boston Celtics icon Kevin Garnett also believes that the Mavericks would be better off if they traded the No.1 pick for an established star like Antetokounmpo. During an episode of the “Ticket & the Truth” podcast last month, KG said that Giannis fits the Mavs’ timeline more than Cooper Flagg does.
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“Dallas has the now, the middle, and the later. They’re built for the now, the middle, and later…We trying to win now. I got the guns and the beam on me now. I got to win now. So the now is now,” said Garnett. “Bro, it’s damn if you do, damn if you don’t. But you got the Flagg, bro. The name of the game is capture the Flagg. Now I think you entertain the best offers. You finna have Kyrie, Anthony Davis, two real bigs with Lively and Gafford. Bro, come on, bro. You got Washington, man. Man, you got a horse of dogs over there. Man sh**, Klay? Sh**,” Kevin concluded.
When the Mavs traded Luka for AD, Harrison talked about Davis and Irving having similar timelines and that having both on the team puts them in a position to contend for the title immediately and in the immediate future. Giannis fits that timeline perfectly. But having “The Greek Freak” won’t only make the Mavs contenders; it could also mean the end of the “Fire Nico” chants in Dallas.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.