Why the Mavs fired Nico Harrison and what's next in Dallas - ESPN

The chant that had become so painfully familiar in the American Airlines Center since that shocking night in early February broke out once again in the final minutes of the Dallas Mavericks' Oct. 24 home loss to the woeful Washington Wizards.

«Fire Nico! Fire Nico! Fire Nico!»

Mavericks fans had been calling for general manager Nico Harrison's termination since the moment that he traded Luka Doncic — a then-25-year-old, homegrown five-time first-team All-NBA selection and fresh off an NBA Finals appearance — to the Los Angeles Lakers in the early-morning hours of Feb. 2.

At this particular moment, Doncic was in the midst of scoring 23 points in the first quarter on his new home court in downtown Los Angeles. He finished with 49 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in a Lakers win that night, a stark contrast to the Mavs' miserable night.

That foreshadowed the first few weeks of the season that ultimately sealed the fate of Harrison, who was fired in a Tuesday morning meeting with team governor Patrick Dumont, who came to regret approving Harrison's plan to dump Doncic, according to sources. The deal sent Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick to Dallas, a return executives around the league considered extremely underwhelming for a perennial MVP candidate just entering his prime.

«Time will tell if I'm right,» Harrison said the day after the trade. Nine months later, time ran out on Harrison.

The Mavs have one of the NBA's worst offenses and sit at the bottom of the Western Conference, ahead of only the New Orleans Pelicans, with a 3-8 record as Doncic shines for the 8-3 Lakers, leading the league with 37.1 points per game while also averaging 9.4 rebounds and 9.1 assists. Davis, meanwhile, has played in