Before this season began, the Dallas Mavericks were widely known as one of the top contenders in the NBA, and they had gotten better last summer after reaching the 2024 NBA Finals with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the way. Irving and Doncic put together a magical playoff run, which included them taking out the LA Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, and fans couldn't wait to see them have the chance to replicate this success again this season.
In an offseason full of change and new faces, Nico Harrison brought in Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, and Spencer Dinwiddie, among others, and all signs were pointing to the Mavs having another great season. Harrison had created an environment in which players wanted to come play for the Mavericks for once, as they finally took a step in the right direction after struggling to land free agents for years.
Mavericks fans were thrilled about this, and the excitement from the offseason carried into the regular season. Dallas had one of the best starting fives in the NBA (when healthy) in Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II, but everything changed in the middle of the night on February 1 when the Mavs traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.
This was a move that was orchestrated by Harrison and Harrison only, and the fallout of this move has been much worse than he expected when it comes to the fans' reactions to it.
Mavericks voted as one of the worst organizations in the NBA
Fans were outraged that Harrison even considered trading Doncic, and according to a recent survey, even players around the NBA are frowning upon what Harrison has caused the Mavericks to become.
According to a recent survey of current NBA players by The Athletic, 4.4 percent of players who voted believe the Dallas Mavericks (subscription required) are the worst organization in the league.
The worst organization in the league. Less than a year after making the NBA Finals.
The Mavericks being in the same conversation to be the worst organization in the league alongside teams like the Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, and Sacramento Kings can be blamed on Harrison, as he is the main decision maker of the organization and he traded the franchise cornerstone in the middle of the season after being in the top three for MVP voting the season before.
With Harrison at the head of the snake, he has an overwhelming amount of control when it comes to the Mavericks organization, and that shows exactly how he was able to make the Doncic trade. He didn't go to anyone for advice about it, and anyone who could have checked him when it comes to making this trade is no longer with the team.
All Harrison had to do was get Patrick Dumont to sign off on the trade, and he was able to make a move that only he wanted due to not involving anyone else in the decision-making process. Harrison has turned the Mavericks into one of the laughingstocks of the NBA by trading a generational superstar before he hit his prime, and while Harrison isn't worried about the Doncic trade affecting the team's ability to land free agents, it remains to be seen if his hunch will be correct.
This recent survey by The Athletic isn't doing Harrison any favors.
