How Jason Kidd may have forced Mavericks to make Nico Harrison change

Jason Kidd likely played a hand in the Mavericks showing Nico Harrison the door.

Oct 6, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd (left) and general manager Nico Harrison (right) look on before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickie's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks finally fired Nico Harrison earlier in the week, nine months after he made the disastrous decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. It sank the tea, as he took the engine of a high-powered offense and turned it into a lemon.

Dallas's offense is arguably the worst in the NBA, and a lot of that is because of Harrison's roster choices. When the best healthy point guards on a roster are D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Williams, and Jaden Hardy, nine months after you had Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, that's a major mistake. And apparently, that led to some disagreements with head coach Jason Kidd.

According to ClutchPoints, "Kidd also reportedly clashed with Harrison over the roster’s direction. The two disagreed on player rotations early this season. Ultimately, Kidd’s choice to rely on untested guards underscored the divide."

Kidd may have also had more leverage with the front office to get his say, as he just signed a contract extension this offseason after some flirtation with the New York Knicks. He made it clear how he felt about the state of the roster by starting Cooper Flagg at point guard to start the season, which predictably went badly.

The offense does look slightly better with Brandon Williams in the lineup, but they need the return of Kyrie Irving desperately. He's still recovering from a torn ACL, and there hasn't been an established timeline for his return yet.

Nov 10, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd reacts against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

READ MORE: 3 overreactions as struggling Clippers outlast Mavericks in double overtime

Jason Kidd Pushing for Mavericks to Make a Trade?

Among the many problems for the Mavericks' offense, turnovers are up there near the top. They're 28th in turnovers per game, averaging more than 17, which will happen with the personnel they currently have.

In Friday's double overtime loss to the LA Clippers, the Mavericks turned it over 25 times, with D'Angelo Russell being accountable for 7 of those. And Russell was the only free agent the Mavs signed this offseason, despite them knowing that Kyrie Irving would miss a large chunk of the season.

After Friday's loss, Kidd said that turnovers were something that "has to be addressed." The Mavericks have historically been one of the best teams in the NBA at protecting the ball, but that's not the case when you trade away a generational playmaker. But there's no fix on the roster, even when Irving returns.

The only other way to address it would be via trade, which definitely seems to be coming at some point. They seem willing to let everyone get healthy first, but it's pretty obvious that the way the roster is constructed currently would not lead to any kind of success.

READ MORE: Dirk Nowitzki breaks silence, bashes Nico Harrison after Mavericks fire GM

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