Not even Cooper Flagg can get Mavericks fans to forgive Nico Harrison for Luka Doncic trade

Dallas Mavericks fans have not forgotten or forgiven team president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison for his midseason transgressions in 2024-25, even after he selected Duke phenom Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick in Wednesday's 2025 NBA draft.

Per Underdog, a packed crowd at the Mavericks' draft watch party — on their homecourt of American Airlines Arena, no less — erupted into spontaneous, furious chants of "Fire Nico!" 

With a seemingly bright future building around the 18-year-old forward, why are 

Clearly, the Mavericks have not forgiven Harrison for his stunning trade of five-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic (plus Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris) to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for aging All-Star center Anthony Davis, young wing Max Christie, and a 2029 first round draft pick. Both clubs rerouted 2025 second rounders to the Utah Jazz as payment for taking Jalen Hood-Schifino off the Lakers' hands.

Doncic, a generational talent who had just taken his Mavericks to the NBA Finals the season prior, was a beloved figure in Dallas. Without him, Davis and All-Star guard Kyrie Irving were felled by injuries down the season's home stretch, and the Mavericks missed the playoffs entirely. They stumbled into the No. 1 pick by sheer dumb lottery luck, despite precarious odds against such a thing happening, and now get to reboot their future.

But questions abound regarding whether Harrison has the proper skillset to build around Flagg, given his bizarre talent appraisal in ditching Doncic and his weak negotiating in regards to that middling draft asset return package.

In college, the 6-foot-9 Naismith Award winner averaged 19.2 points on .481/.385/.840 shooting splits, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 rebounds a night, en route to guiding Duke to the Final Four. Given that the Blue Devils boasted three players who just got selected in the draft's top 10, that finish is a bit underwhelming, if anything.

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