Rumors

NBA Base: Mark Cuban admits hiring Nico Harrison was a mistake: Q: “Do you regret [hiring Nico Harrison]?” Mark Cuban: “Yeah… it was a mistake.” (Via @adam_talkshow)

Twitter

Draymond Green: “So many people crushed Nico for the reasons that he gave. When Nico gave those reasons everybody said he’s ridiculous, he’s crazy. Now when I turn on the tv all I see is media who crushed Nico which essentially aided in him getting fired, regurgitating the same things that Nico Harrison was saying. I haven’t seen one person come out and say ‘hey Nico, I’m sorry for the things I said about you when you made those moves because I just said the same things out of my mouth.’ This has nothing to do with Luka and everything to do with the media and Nico Harrison. Nico gave his reasoning as why he thought that was the right move. Everybody said ‘you’re a f*cking idiot”

YouTube

Before becoming the general manager and vice president of basketball operations for the Dallas Mavericks, Nico Harrison worked at Nike for 19 years. He supervised Nike's basketball brand managers and worked closely with Kobe Bryant since the Lakers guard signed with Nike in 2003. Of the Air Jordan 19 campaign, Harrison told ESPN, "I remember the snakes. I remember the [Tech Flex] technology. And I don't remember the ad." He said no one from Nike or Jordan Brand had ever mentioned it or the campaign to him or, to his knowledge, to Bryant. Another source who worked closely with Bryant for many years said Bryant had no knowledge of the black mamba connection to Jordan.

ESPN

All the above commentary from Nowitzki was inspired by the Nov. 11 firing of Harrison, who has not spoken publicly since his dismissal. I reached out to him to this week to share that I was doing a One Year Later piece in hopes of getting a quote or two. We indeed connected but he declined comment.

marcstein.substack.com

Finally, regarding your future: A few months ago, Nico Harrison was dismissed as General Manager of the Dallas Mavericks. Your name keeps coming up in the media as a possible successor. Is that something you currently consider? Dirk Nowitzki: I don't think the GM role is something I'm considering right now. I always thought that when I retired, I'd immediately move into management with the Mavericks. However, the longer I was out of the business after my playing career ended, the less interesting it became to me. I think it's an incredibly intense job, 24/7, all year round. When the season is over for players and coaches and they take a break, the work for GMs just keeps going with the draft, free agency, and trade deadlines. It's an absolute full-time job that I couldn't imagine doing right now. I like my life the way it is right now. I enjoy having things going on with my roles at Prime and the FIBA Players' Committee, but I also still have plenty of time for my family and children. That's why I don't see a GM role in my immediate future.

Sports Illustrated

Zach Lowe: I do expect the Bucks to try to buy and if they continue that stance for another month. When Dallas fired Nico Harrison and I went through all the fake Anthony Davis trades, I said right away, you've got to look at teams that are desperate to win and underperforming and can bundle some expiring salary. And I said like I'd look at the Bucks. I'd look at the Clippers for Anthony Davis and I still would for those reasons. But to me, if the Bucks continue on this stance of bye bye-bye, they're just a lock to end up with one of these sort of distressed high leverage high salary players like a Zach LaVine, Michael Porter Jr., I mentioned AD. 

YouTube

The Dallas Mavericks remain unlikely to name Nico Harrison’s permanent successor for several more months, according to league sources. Finley and Riccardi will operate as co-GMs through the trade deadline

New York Times

Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont has taken a patient approach since firing general manager Nico Harrison on Nov. 11. Dumont has relied on Finley, Riccardi, coach Jason Kidd and minority owner Mark Cuban in his front office corps, and has given Finley and Riccardi the power to lead conversations on the franchise's future. A GM search is still expected in the offseason, and Finley and Riccardi are expected to be candidates, sources said.

ESPN

Nico Harrison apparently does not care to lay low after getting canned. The former Dallas Mavericks general manager Harrison made a controversial public appearance at a local bar in Dallas this week. An X user with the handle of @basednoahh shared a video of Harrison in the bar seemingly on his way out.

Larry Brown Sports

Mike Curtis: Asked Anthony Davis about his reaction to Nico Harrison’s firing: “It was surprising more than anything. Nico’s my guy. He played a huge part in getting me here & wanting me to fulfill his vision that he saw. It was definitely tough. Me & him had a conversation. Me & (Mavs governor) Patrick (Dumont) had a conversation. It’s the business of basketball.”

x.com

“It was surprising more than anything,” Davis said. “Nico’s my guy. Obviously, he played a huge part of getting me here and wanting me to fulfill his vision, in a sense, that he saw. It was definitely tough. ... It’s the business of basketball. Once I had those conversations [with Harrison and Dumont], I was able to move forward and continue to rehab and get back on the floor and try to compete.”

Dallas Morning News

Last season, Lively was sidelined for 36 consecutive games with what the Mavericks referred to as a stress fracture in his right ankle. In April, then-Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said he didn’t believe Lively would need offseason surgery. That ended up being inaccurate, as Lively underwent surgery over the summer to remove bone spurs in his right foot. Now, that same foot could keep Lively off the court for an extended period of time again.

New York Times

Shams Charania: This franchise is moving away from Nico Harrison's three to four year championship window, and toward trying to find sustained success and sustained growth around Cooper, Flagg and youth. And to that end, sources have told ESPN that the Mavericks will be listening to trade calls for Anthony Davis and seeing and exploring his value. And for that, health will be the biggest key because not only for the Mavericks to evaluate Anthony Davis over a lengthy period of time, an extended period of time on the court, but for other teams that could have interest in him to see what he looks like when he's back with this team, looks like when he's back, a lot of evaluation to come around.

x.com

Discussions with more than a dozen sources inside the organization reveal that two of the franchise's most powerful men, Cuban and Harrison, were vying for influence and the ear of the new, inexperienced owner Dumont: one man determined to prove his basketball acumen after finally being given freedom to run a team, the other desperate to get back in the game. On the morning of Nov. 11, that simmering power struggle finally bubbled to a boil -- and everyone was burned. Said one team source: "Mark's been trying a palace coup for months."

ESPN