Dallas Basketball

NBA legend sends controversial message to Mavericks fans about Nico Harrison

Gary Payton had a very unpopular opinion about the embattled GM.
Keenan Womack|
Apr 18, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison watches warm ups prior to a game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Apr 18, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison watches warm ups prior to a game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

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Dallas Mavericks

Gary Payton was a legendary NBA player in his prime, known across the league as "The Glove" in reference to his elite defense on the perimeter.

Playing 17 years in the NBA, most of which was with the Seattle SuperSonics, Payton was the first and only point guard to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year, which he did in 1996, amongst nine total finishes on the NBA's All-Defensive First Team.

READ MORE: NBA legend thinks it would've been easy to guard Mavericks star Kyrie Irving

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison
Feb 10, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison walks off the court before the game between the Dallas and the Sacramento Kings at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

A member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Payton, whose son Gary Payton II currently plays for the Golden State Warriors, had some interesting words about the current Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, a controversial figure in Dallas to say the least.

Instead of doubting Harrison after his season of monumental mistakes, Payton believes fans should, for some reason, believe in Harrison going forward. He said as much during his appearance on the Club 520 Podcast recently.

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“I feel for my boy Jason Kidd as a head coach, I feel for my boy Nico, my rep at Nike, like a little brother to me. I feel for him because of what he took," said Payton of Harrison.

“He’s the president/general manager, he can’t make the calls on his own. All you fans messing with him, get up out of here like that. It wasn’t his call, it wasn’t his decision. He made a decision on what he was told to do or what had to be done. I’m happy for him. What’s going to happen? Get all the guys to get healthy. If their whole team gets healthy, Dallas is gonna be a beast.”

Though Payton may feel this way due to a personal connection with Harrison, it is safe to say that the Dallas fanbase disagrees, especially considering the rumors flying around that he may trade the top overall pick, which will presumably be Duke's Cooper Flagg, for another aging veteran.

It will take a long time for Harrison to overcome the Luka Doncic-Lakers trade if he ever does. A good start would be to draft Flagg and avoid another myopic blockbuster trade.

READ MORE: Ex-Maverick, UNC national champion, leaves retirement to sign new professional deal

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Keenan Womack
KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.

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