Dirk Nowitzki believes Nico Harrison should’ve been fired sooner: ‘Black cloud’

Dirk Nowitzki didn’t mince words about the Mavericks’ decision to fire general manager Nico Harrison.

The Dallas legend spoke openly on Friday about the move that happened earlier this week, saying the organization had reached a point where it couldn’t keep operating under the cloud of uncertainty surrounding Harrison’s tenure.

“I think there’s just too many distractions, too much going on to keep going this way,” Nowitzki said on Prime Video’s NBA pregame show, pointing to the level of dysfunction that had built up over the past several months.

Nico Harrison was let go by the Mavericks this week. NBAE via Getty Images

He added that he felt the Mavs waited too long to make the call.

“This move should have probably happened this summer, honestly,” he said. “I didn’t want this negative energy and this black cloud over the Cooper Flagg era, but here we are now.”

Nowitzki also addressed the controversial trade that led to this, of course, the now-infamous February deal that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for a package highlighted by Anthony Davis.

Like many others, Nowitzki wasn’t happy with the move.

“This trade just made no sense. It made no sense to the fans,” he said. “And, really, there was no explanation for it, either.”

He noted that the way the deal was handled and its ripple effects contributed to the disconnect between the front office and the fanbase.

“Fire Nico” chants became a theme in Mavericks games and on social media, even after having ultimate luck this summer, winning the NBA Draft Lottery despite having nowhere near the shortest odds.

They selected Cooper Flagg at No. 1 overall, who is projected to be a future star, but hasn’t quite looked the part on a consistent basis yet, perhaps largely due to the context in Dallas, along with an imperfect roster and injuries surrounding the 18-year-old Duke product.

Dirk Nowitzki speaks during the unveiling of Prime Video’s new NBA On Prime Studio at The Culver Studios on October 14, 2025 in Culver City, California. Getty Images for Prime Video

The Hall of Famer said the entire situation left supporters feeling robbed of seeing the long-term vision for Doncic play out.

“It was very sad how that ended, and it felt like the fans feel like they got robbed of actually seeing the end, seeing this through, seeing Luka develop into hopefully a champion one day,” Nowitzki said. “It feels like they never got to see the end to this.

“This was very heartbreaking, but now, I think it’s time to move on. It’s time to move on now. Focus on this team, on this franchise. This definitely set the franchise back but now it’s about building it back up. Obviously, this team is struggling a bit. It needs the support, all they can get. Hopefully, we can have a good year here from now on and cheer the team up.”