Nine months ago, Nico Harrison made a move that many Mavericks fans saw as unforgivable, sparking “Fire Nico” chants across Dallas. Now, that moment has finally come. The franchise announced Harrison’s departure, ending his 4-year tenure that saw the team fall from the NBA Finals to fan frustration within a year. Still, before his time with the Mavericks, Harrison was already a respected figure in the sports world.

Previously, he worked at Nike for 19 long years and was the vice president of North American basketball operations in his last leg with the brand. As is the case when anyone works for such a long time, not every decision hits the mark. The same goes for the former Mavericks GM. Today, we look back at some of those errors that Harrison himself may want to forget.

Not securing Stephen Curry’s future with Nike

Nike has long been home to the NBA’s biggest stars and remains one of the most dominant sports brands in the world. A young Stephen Curry, too, was supposed to board this train early in his career, long before his MVPs and reputation as the greatest shooter in history. Even then, the hype around him was undeniable, and Nike was perfectly positioned to fully capitalize on his rise.

Nico Harrison was entrusted with leading a key presentation to secure Curry’s continued partnership. However, the pitch quickly went off course. One slide mistakenly featured Kevin Durant’s name, revealing a pre-made presentation that wasn’t tailored to Curry. To make matters worse, several officials mispronounced his name, leaving Harrison as the only one to get it right (as he claims).

That ended as an absolute disaster. The company that did its due diligence was Under Armour. They secured a contract with Curry, which has now grown into a brand of its own. A few years ago, Curry reportedly signed a billion-dollar lifetime deal with the brand. Their partnership has turned out to be incredibly lucrative, with 12 signature shoes and hundreds of millions in sales.

Yet, Nico Harrison did mostly well with Nike. It’s his stint with the Dallas Mavericks that really put a dent in his legacy.

Jrue Holiday and Nikola Jokic in the same tier?

When the Mavericks hired Nico Harrison in 2021, the goal was to bring structure and vision to their front office. Yet, some executives questioned whether his experience evaluating talent at Nike would translate to building an NBA roster. Those doubts quickly gained traction, and in the wake of his firing, DLLS revealed a major detail that underscored the challenges of his tenure.

Notably, during a front office meeting, Harrison placed both Jrue Holiday and Nikola Jokic in the same trade target tier. With his mantra that defense wins championships, it’s understandable why Holiday would rank so high. But when there’s a three-time MVP on the same list, it starts to become ludicrous.

There’s not much to explain here, though. Holiday, a two-time champion, has delivered the goods with two different teams. But the Joker is a franchise-altering talent who could literally change a team’s fortunes around. None of these moves ever materialized, but it is still a startling revelation.

Nico Harrison dragged Mark Cuban away from the Mavericks

No matter how many owners change, Cuban and the Mavericks just belong together. So when he sold a majority stake, the multi-billionaire still wanted to remain close. Notably, the agreement between him and the Adelson family was for him to continue running basketball operations.

But that didn’t last. If it did, Cuban has publicly said Luka Doncic would never be traded. And he also revealed that in some ways, his own mistakes got him to this place. Yet, Harrison did play a role.

While speaking at the All In Summit, Cuban said, “There were some things that happened internally where the person who traded Luka [Doncic] didn’t want me there.” What role Nico Harrison played in swaying Patrick Dumont, or whether he did, hasn’t been confirmed by anybody else. But there have been some questionable decisions since he assumed complete control.

Firing Casey Smith, a 20-year employee of the Mavericks

Casey Smith served as the Mavericks’ director of health and performance, a role he earned after decades of dedication to the organization. He developed a close bond with Dirk Nowitzki and was a trusted figure in the team’s inner circle. Smith also frequently traveled to Slovenia with the Mavericks’ staff to check in on Luka Doncic during the offseason, ensuring the star guard stayed on track. Still, in restricting the front office, Nico Harrison fired him.

And it all happened on a Zoom call when Casey Smith was looking after his terminally ill mother. “The reason for the dismissal centered on Smith being ‘too negative,’ according to sources briefed on the discussion who interpreted the vague reasoning to mean Smith wasn’t enough of a yes-man,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported.

Its ripple effects began the ultimate breakdown of the franchise. Notably, Doncic lost a close confidante. Nowitzki was hurt by the decision and separated himself from the Mavericks organization. It all went downhill from there. But that wasn’t the end of the Mavs fall.

Letting Jalen Brunson join the Knicks

Nico Harrison wasn’t solely responsible for Jalen Brunson leaving the Mavericks, but as general manager, his decisions carried weight. When Brunson expressed his desire to stay in Dallas and even agreed to a $55 million extension, the situation quickly unraveled. At the time, Mark Cuban still held majority ownership, making the fallout even more significant within the organization.

In his eyes, several factors played a role in their losing the All-Star guard. But Brunson revealed that the Mavs front office delayed the decision. It was only at the end of the season that they came back with the same deal. By that time, Jalen Brunson had become a top guard, leading the Mavericks in the postseason while Doncic was injured.

“I was like, ‘No, I think I’ve outgrown that now,'” Brunon said about his response on the All The Smoke podcast. Still, the Mavs managed to replace him with Kyrie Irving, so it didn’t make that huge of a difference in terms of team construction. The same can’t be said about Harrison’s recent business.

The unforgivable sin: trading Luka Doncic

February 2, 2025, was the day Nico Harrison might have thought he sealed a championship future for the Mavericks. But it began the countdown to the end of his tenure. Luka Doncic had just led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. Yes, injuries did often hamper him, but because of the excruciating workload he assumed.

Nico Harrison underestimated what Luka meant to the Dallas community. He struck a deal with the Lakers, bringing in an injury-prone Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and just one first-round pick for a star yet to hit his prime. Many scrutinized the deal for the lack of assets the Mavs retained in exchange for their talisman.

Furthermore, many didn’t understand AD as a target when conditioning issues were cited as the reasons for parting ways with Doncic. Nine months later, the Lakers are 8-3, with the Slovenian averaging 37 points and in the best shape of his life. That’s all he needed, a little fire under his belly to be intentional.

But it came in a way no one imagined. Still, the Mavericks’ general manager could have kept the team steady before making another mistake.

Nico Harrison failed to see the value in Quentin Grimes

Trading Luka Doncic already puts the Mavs in peril. But the following move put the team deeper into their mess. Notably, Quentin Grimes was shipped to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Caleb Martin. He had played a vital role on the Heat. But Grimes went to Philly, with an injury-riddled team, and seized the opportunity.

The 25-year-old averaged 21.9 points in the 28 games that year since his trade. This season, he is putting up close to 18. But here’s a crazier stat that shows how negative the exchange has been. According to Andy Bailey, Grimes has scored 784 points and hit 107 threes since his move. At the same time, Martin is yet to reach 100 points.

The Mavericks and Nico Harrison made the same mistake twice. They traded away a young guard who could have played a vital role after Doncic’s loss. The culmination of all of these moves left Patrick Dumont with no choice. Worst of all, the Mavericks fanbase could start healing, but it’s unclear how they can fully recover.