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The Mavericks’ decision to fire Nico Harrison on Tuesday, nine months after the inexplicable trade of Luka Dončić, only does so much to relieve the organization’s woes.
He still left a mess for interim co-general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi.
Dallas is 3–8 going into Wednesday night’s game against the Suns, which is the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Anthony Davis, who was traded for Dončić in February, is injured, as is star guard Kyrie Irving, who tore his ACL in March just weeks after the trade. No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg has been inconsistent his first few weeks as a rookie and the team’s offense ranks among the NBA’s worst.
So what are the Mavericks’ options post-Harrison? Contend with a broken roster or tear it all down and build toward the future with Flagg?
Neither option is that simple.
Trading Kyrie and A.D.
Davis and Irving are the two co-stars who would command the most trade value, but come with a similar set of issues—they’re injury-prone and on the wrong side of 30.
Davis, 32, is currently out with a calf injury, which served as its own swan song for Harrison. After flirting with a possible return over the weekend, team governor Patrick Dumont reportedly sided with the medical staff and postponed it to make sure the calf is properly healed. Davis has played in just 14 regular season games since being traded to Dallas and missed most of last season due to an abdominal injury.
When he’s healthy, Davis remains one of the NBA’s best defensive players and a consistent lob threat that could help any contender. But what could his return command on the open market? Davis will make $54 million this season, which is the first year of a three-year, $175 million extension he signed with the Lakers in August 2023. That figure increases to $58 million next season and ends with a $62 million player option for the 2027–2028 season, according to Spotrac.
Acquiring Davis would be a massive undertaking for a team’s cap sheet for a player who’s managed to play more than 70 games just once since the 2019–2020 season. The return for Dallas would likely be underwhelming for one of the NBA’s 75 greatest players.
Trading Irving is even harder.
Irving, 33, is currently rehabbing a torn ACL and it’s unknown if he’ll play this season. In June, he agreed to a three-year, $119 million contract to stay with the Mavericks after being traded to Dallas from Brooklyn in February 2023. Irving is making $36.5 million this season, according to Spotrac, despite the possibility he doesn’t play this year.
When healthy, Irving is one of the game’s greatest ballhandlers and shot creators, but has an extensive off-court history in addition to his injury woes. While on the Nets, Irving refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which made him ineligible to play home games at Barclays Center for months, shared a video clip of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and promoted an antisemitic film. Irving hasn’t had any controversy in Dallas, but his history may give teams pause to trade for him—at least until he shows he’s healthy.
The Mavericks might have to ride out Harrison’s vision of a Davis and Irving-led team—at least for now—until both are healthy enough to get a better return.
Tank for Another Lottery Pick
After trading for Davis and Irving, the Mavs don’t have draft capital or control of their first-round picks from 2027 to 2030. In addition to Flagg, 21-year-old forward Derrick Lively II gives the team another building block for its future. Continuing to lose this season would give the team its third lottery pick since 2023—and as a result—a young trio to move forward with.
The 2026 draft is considered to be strong, led by freshmen Darryn Peterson (Kansas), AJ Dybantsa (BYU), and Cameron Boozer (Duke). If the Mavs pivot to building the team around Flagg, the draft presents their best chance to get him another running mate.
Harrison lucked into the top pick months after trading Dončić and helped revive fan interest after season ticket cancellations followed Dončić’s exit to the Lakers. A reverse course less than a year later would be a tough sell to a fanbase still recovering from February’s trade.
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