What Dirk Nowitzki Thinks About Mavericks’ Move to Fire Nico Harrison

The Mavericks finally ripped off the bandage when owner Patrick Dumont decided to part ways with controversial general manager Nico Harrison nine months after he made the jaw-dropping trade that sent guard Luka Dončić to the Lakers.

Although Dallas found extreme luck in the NBA draft lottery to land the No. 1 pick and guard Cooper Flagg after the shocking deal, the team is off to a 3-9 start this season as “Fire Nico” chants continued to ring throughout American Airlines Center. Franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki even admitted his former team’s start was tough to watch as they continue to struggle without a primary ballhandler while guard Kyrie Irving recovers from a torn ACL.

Nowitzki, now an analyst for Prime Video’s new NBA coverage, was asked for his thoughts on the move to let go Harrison and he didn’t hold back.

“There was too many distractions, too much going on to keep going this way. This move should have probably happened in the summer, honestly,” he said on Amazon Prime Video Friday. “I didn’t want this negative energy and this black cloud over the Cooper Flagg era, but here we are now.

“I just knew this fan base is a passionate and loyal fan base, I was lucky enough to experience it for 21 years. I knew they wouldn’t just get over it as people say or forget about it. This trade just made no sense, it made no sense to them and really there was no explanation for it either.”

You can watch his full monologue below:

"It's time to move on now."

Dirk Nowitzki on the Mavs firing GM Nico Harrison. pic.twitter.com/8J9MvksVdm
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) November 14, 2025

The Mavs legend said he felt the Dončić trade made Dallas fans feel like they were robbed of seeing the superstar guard develop and eventually lead the team to a championship after the guard brought them to the NBA Finals the season before he was traded. Nowitzki’s thoughts were highly anticipated, as he led Dallas to a title in 2011 and was named NBA Finals MVP.

Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi are serving as co-interim general managers following Harrison’s departure.

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