Nico Harrison Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavs Notes: Frontcourt, Washington, Flagg, Free Agency, Sweeney, Lottery Luck

June 26th, 2025 at 6:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks frontcourt might seem a little crowded with Dereck Lively, Anthony Davis, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford — who just agreed to an extension — joined by top pick Cooper Flagg.

However, general manager Nico Harrison indicated he’s planning to have all of them sharing minutes, rather than moving one of the veterans. He also envisions Washington, the incumbent starting small forward, playing together with Flagg at times. Harrison even brought up the subject with Washington.

“I said, ‘Hey, P.J., you think you guys can play together?’ ” Harrison recalled, per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we can play together.’ So I don’t see any jealousy. I think guys are excited to play with him and as he’s ready, he’s gonna get more and more opportunities.”

By winning the draft lottery, Harrison believes the team will be contenders for years to come.

“I think it’s win now. It’s also win in the future,” Harrison said. “Eventually it’s going to be Cooper’s team. We don’t know when that transition will happen. So I think it’s win now and then set yourself up to win in the future as well.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Harrison envisions Flagg as making an impact in a variety of ways, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal relays. “He’s a basketball player. He can handle the ball, he can shoot, he can make plays for people. He’s a good passer,” Harrison said. “He’s going to be on the floor. The big thing is: who can he defend? And he’s a great defender.”
Harrison said the Mavs will look in free agency to fill the temporary void left by Kyrie Irving‘s ACL injury but it won’t necessarily be a traditional point guard. “I’m not really worried about someone to run the offense. I think we’ve got enough guys that can handle the ball and play multiple positions — just someone to get us organized,” Harrison said, per Afseth, adding, “A lot of players want to come play in Dallas.”
Harrison became extremely unpopular with fans after trading Luka Doncic but the franchise’s lottery luck seems to have to toned down the vitriol, he notes. “I’ve seen the fans react since we got the No. 1 pick. It feels like they’re feeling really good and optimistic about the future,” he said, according to Afseth. “I’m hoping so. I’m assuming so — a little bit maybe.”
Harrison emphasized during his press conference that Jason Kidd was staying put as head coach, dousing speculation that Kidd could wind up with the Knicks. Sean Sweeney‘s agent, Andy Miller, told Townsend (Twitter link) that Dallas did want to keep Sweeney but that the Spurs offered the highly regarded assistant a “bigger role.” “Sean’s contract was expiring,” Miller said. “Dallas made a yeoman’s effort to obviously retain him. They wanted to keep him. I think for Sean this is an opportunity to have a bigger role, a bigger say, more input, with an upward trajectory…”
A team source told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes that the organization was stunned when it drew the top combination in the lottery last month. “We never even considered that the impossible could happen on May 12,” the source said. “I’m not sure there has ever been a more abrupt reversal of fortune.”

Southwest Notes: Murray, Edey, Flagg, Mavs, Hooper

June 20th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on The Pivot Podcast (YouTube link) this week, Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray said he has “nothing but love” for the city of New Orleans but that the last year was his “worst experience in the NBA,” as Rashad Milligan of NOLA.com relays.

In addition to sustaining two major injuries – a broken hand and a torn Achilles – Murray dealt with a series of tragedies in his personal life, including the death of a cousin, his mother suffering a stroke, and an uncle overdosing. He also felt that he wasn’t getting the sort of support he needed from the Pelicans.

“The organization, it got bad, man,” he said. “As you guys can see, such and such got fired, another guy left, they brought new people in.”

Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin was let go at the end of the season, while general manager Bryson Graham left New Orleans to take a job in the Hawks’ front office.

“I’m stressed, I’m mad everyday, I’m sad, I’m angry, I don’t want to be there at that time. It’s just so much going on,” Murray said, describing his mental state during the season. “… It wasn’t just me, it was everybody’s mental. Every player. I hope this brings peace to my brothers. I hope everyone gets what they need. I hope the organization gets it together because you have the talent, but it ain’t just the talent. You need every dot to connect to have a chance to win.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

Grizzlies center Zach Edey will have an initial hearing on Monday for a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving, according to Ron Wilkins of the Lafayette Journal & Courier. As Wilkins reports, Indiana police say that stopped Edey on May 1 after he was driving 101 mph in a 55-mph zone. He told the state trooper who pulled him over that he was speeding because he was trying to pass another vehicle.
Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscriber link) takes an inside look at Cooper Flagg‘s visit to Dallas this week, which included a Tuesday dinner with general manager Nico Harrison, head coach Jason Kidd, CEO Rick Welts, assistant GM Michael Finley, and other Mavericks staffers. According to Curtis, Flagg’s visit also included meetings with members of the Mavs’ business operations department, a tour of the team’s facilities, and a standard workout that included situational reads and shooting drills. He reportedly shot the ball “insanely well” during that workout, a league source tells Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban.
With Flagg set to join the Mavericks next Wednesday as the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, Chris Mannix takes an in-depth look at the star prospect in a cover story for Sports Illustrated.
The Mavericks plan to name Max Hooper as the new head coach of their G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, reports Marc Stein (Twitter link). Hooper, the head video coordinator in Dallas, will replace Jordan Sears, who is expected to move back to the Mavs’ coaching staff after coaching the Legends for the past two seasons, Stein explains.

Stein’s Latest: Holiday, White, Porzingis, Williamson, Mavs, Dumont

May 18th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The early speculation regarding the Celtics’ offseason is that Jrue Holiday is more likely to be moved than backcourt partner Derrick White, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.

Holiday has three years remaining on a four-year, $134MM contract, which includes a $37.2MM player option in the final year of the deal. White’s four-year, $118MM extension, which kicks in next season, includes a $34.8MM player option for 2028/29.

Kristaps Porziņgis‘ $30.7MM expiring contract is viewed by outside executives as the most movable on Boston’s roster, according to Stein. However, Porzingis’ mysterious illness, which lingered during the final month of the regular season through the playoffs, may give potential suitors pause.

It should be noted that the need to make some roster adjustments was anticipated before Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles tendon injury, which will likely sideline him though next season. The Celtics’ brass is confronted by luxury tax concerns and tax apron constraints.

Here’s more from Stein:

League sources tell Stein that Zion Williamson‘s presence at the draft lottery was indeed a signal from the Pelicans’ new front office that they’ll continue to make him the team’s centerpiece, rather than looking to deal him. Williamson represented New Orleans at the lottery, though he didn’t bring good luck — the club slid to the No. 7 pick.
While the Mavericks haven’t been overt about it, they have no plans to field trade offers for the No. 1 overall pick. “Not even for Giannis (Antetokounmpo),” a source briefed on the team’s thinking told Stein. The team’s ownership and front office realize they must rebuild trust with their fan base by drafting Cooper Flagg as the new face of the franchise. The Mavericks are expected to soon secure their first in-person meeting with Flagg.
New majority owner Patrick Dumont, who is based in Las Vegas, has visited Dallas multiple times since the Mavericks’ season ended in early April. That has reinforced the notion that Dumont remains in general manager Nico Harrison’s corner as the franchise’s top decision-maker, says Stein.

Mavs Intend To Keep No. 1 Pick, Draft Cooper Flagg

May 13th, 2025 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Since the Mavericks‘ unlikely lottery win on Monday night, there has been speculation about the possibility of the front office – which clearly isn’t shy about taking big swings – including the No. 1 overall pick in a trade for a proven superstar such as Giannis Antetokounmpo.

However, that’s not the plan in Dallas, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, who hears from sources that the Mavericks intend to use the pick to draft consensus top prospect Cooper Flagg and won’t entertain the idea of trading it. Marc Stein (Twitter link) has heard the same thing from a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking.

According to MacMahon, Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont considers it a “gift” to get the opportunity to draft a prospect like Flagg. The possibility of re-gifting the Duke star to another team isn’t under consideration, says MacMahon, noting that Dumont has given general manager Nico Harrison leeway to run the front office but still has the final say on all basketball decisions.

As MacMahon points out, the decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February resulted in “significant business concerns” for the Mavericks, in addition to creating a murky long-term outlook for a franchise that has traded away control of its own first-round picks from 2027-30. Being able to add Flagg to Dallas’ core would go a long way toward mitigating both of those concerns, MacMahon writes.

Flagg will be joining a Mavs roster headlined by Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively, and P.J. Washington.

As fortunate as Dallas is to be in position to bring aboard a talent like Flagg, there’s still plenty of work to be done on the roster this summer. With Irving expected to miss a significant chunk of the season while he recovers from a torn ACL, the team is short on ball-handling and play-making and will be looking to upgrade its backcourt.

Front Office Rumors: Suns, Ishbia, Myers, Hawks, Connelly, Harrison

April 23rd, 2025 at 7:13pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Suns owner Mat Ishbia is believed to have had a “longstanding” interest in trying to convince former Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers, now an ESPN broadcaster, to return to the NBA to lead Phoenix’s front office, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

Ishbia is looking to add new voices to his front office contingent before hiring his fourth head coach in four years, according to Stein and Fischer, who say it’s is unclear whether longtime head of basketball operations James Jones would be replaced in that scenario or would work alongside a new executive.

If Myers were to join the Suns, he’d presumably be the one calling the shots over Jones, but many sources around the league are skeptical Myers would be amenable to joining the team, Stein and Fischer say, even though Phoenix is relatively close to Myers’ L.A. home. While that could work in the club’s favor, Myers is said to be enjoying his TV job and his consulting work with the NFL’s Washington Commanders, while the Suns are currently deep in the league’s second luxury tax apron without a lot of short-term future draft equity.

According to Stein and Fischer, Ishbia is expected to have a “significant” voice in hiring a new head coach, which suggests that Jones and/or another key front office newcomer might not have as much say in the coaching decision as a head of basketball operations typically would. The Suns are expected to seek out a younger, greener head coach than their last three, with multiple former players likely to be considered, the duo reports.

Here are more NBA rumors:

After firing former general manager Landry Fields earlier this week, the Hawks are looking to pair newly elevated GM Onsi Saleh with their eventual Fields replacement to lead the front office, according to Stein and Fischer. Sources inform the duo that team owner Tony Ressler is open to forking over top dollar for a seasoned front office pro. Myers, who was Saleh’s boss with the Warriors, is a possible target for Atlanta.
While current Timberwolves president Tim Connelly will likely be linked to front office openings this offseason, there’s a league-wide expectation that the Wolves will sign him to a new deal now that Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are poised to take over control of the team from Glen Taylor, Stein and Fischer say.
Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont is reportedly no longer interested in giving general manager Nico Harrison carte blanche when it comes to basketball decisions, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon told former colleague Bomani Jones on the latter’s podcast The Right Time With Bomani Jones (YouTube video link). MacMahon says Dumont is believed to be seeking an experienced front office executive to work alongside Harrison going forward, following his controversial decision to trade five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic to Los Angeles in exchange for a package led by injury-prone big man Anthony Davis. “Now, the ‘In Nico We Trust’ era has ended,” McMahon said. “He wants him to bring in an experienced exec. I think he’s realized he’s got to have some checks and balances that weren’t in place… I think this has been a very educational experience for Patrick Dumont in his first full year as an NBA governor. Also, the realization [that] in this world [the] management’s not the stars. The stars are the guys on the floor.”

Mavs Rumors: Health/Performance Team, Doncic, Dumont, Harrison, Kidd

April 22nd, 2025 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Within an in-depth story focused on the changes made with the Mavericks‘ health and performance department in recent years, Tim MacMahon of ESPN shares several details that reflect poorly on the team’s current management, starting with the firing of longtime director of health and performance Casey Smith in 2023.

As MacMahon explains, several sources believe general manager Nico Harrison fired Smith – who was close with longtime Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki as well as Luka Doncic – because he wasn’t enough of a yes-man.

“(Harrison) was 100 percent threatened by him,” a team source told MacMahon. “He’s going to show that I’m in charge and nobody else can question that.”

MacMahon also reports that the relationship between new director of player health and performance Johann Bilsborough and athletic performance director Keith Belton has been frosty, writing that Bilsborough doesn’t respect Belton’s acumen. Belton was hired by the Mavs first, with Bilsborough later hired as his superior.

A January disagreement over how Dereck Lively‘s foot injury was being handled led to a “loud, heated confrontation” between the two men, according to MacMahon, who hears from one source that the altercation was “coming for a long time.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Both MacMahon and Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link) say the calf strain Doncic sustained on Christmas Day was a source of major tension between the Mavs and the guard’s camp. The team believed that Doncic could be back in two to three weeks and Harrison thought the injury was related to Doncic’s conditioning, whereas the star guard’s camp was adamant that he needed to sit out for six weeks to fully recover and believed the injury stemmed from the fact that he returned too soon from a previous heel issue. “That deepened the divide,” a source told ESPN.
In the wake of the Doncic trade, Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont no longer views Harrison as having “irreproachable basketball expertise,” sources tell Tim Cato of DLLS Sports (subscription required). Dumont has been especially frustrated that Harrison either didn’t foresee or didn’t better prepare him for the extreme negative reaction to the trade from the fan base, Cato adds.
Within the same story, Cato cites sources who say that Jason Kidd “resented” the Doncic trade, even though the Mavs head coach shared some of Harrison’s frustrations about Doncic’s work habits. Kidd felt he was being asked to reinvent a roster and a system that had previously been built around Doncic, Cato explains, noting that the coach’s frustration was a factor in his decision to skip a mandatory press conference in February on the same day Doncic made his Lakers debut.

Mavs GM Harrison On Doncic Trade, Fan Reaction, More

April 21st, 2025 at 4:14pm CST by Rory Maher

At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison discussed the shocking decision to trade Luka Doncic as well as the overwhelmingly negative reaction to it from fans, who have been chanting “fire Nico” since the deal was completed.

“I did know Luka was important to the Mavs’ fan base,” Harrison said, per RealGM. “I didn’t quite know to what level.

“But, really, the way we looked at it is if you’re putting a team on the floor that’s Kyrie [Irving], Klay [Thompson], P.J. [Washington], Anthony Davis and [Dereck] Lively, we felt that’s a championship-caliber team. And we would have been winning at a high level. That would have quieted some of the outrage. So unfortunately we weren’t able to do that, so it just went on and on.”

When asked why he should be able to keep his job, Harrison defended his Mavericks tenure, tweets Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

“Well, one, I think I’ve done a really good job here,” Harrison said. “And I don’t think I can be judged by the injuries this year. You have to judge the totality, from the beginning to end. I think I have a really good working relationship with [governor Patrick Dumont]. I think you add in Rick [Welts], the leadership we have is really elite and you’ll see next year when our team comes back. We’re going to be competing for a championship.”

Here’s more from Harrison’s press conference:

Harrison was pressed on why the Mavericks couldn’t get more assets from the Lakers for Doncic. “I think the biggest thing is if you don’t value AD as an All-NBA player and All-Defensive player, then you’re not going to like the trade,” Harrison said, according to Curtis (Twitter link).
The Mavs’ head of basketball operations said Dumont didn’t pressure him to make the deal, as Curtis relays (via Twitter). “Not at all. Patrick reminds me of the leadership that I had at Nike and a really good leader doesn’t tell the people that work for him what to do. It’s a collective, well thought out process to make a big move like that. Also, unfortunately, I’m super stubborn so someone telling me to do something doesn’t work too well for me.”
Despite the intense backlash, Harrison claims his relationship with Dumont has actually been “strengthened” in the two-plus months since the trade was made, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Harrison said Davis won’t need surgery this offseason and he doesn’t believe Lively will either, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Both players missed significant time with injuries, but were able to return before the team was eliminated in the play-in tournament.
Regarding Kyrie Irving‘s $43.96MM player option for 2025/26, Harrison said he wasn’t sure if it would be exercised, but he’s confident the 33-year-old will be in a Mavericks uniform next season. “It’s too early to tell what Kyrie is going to do, but what I do feel is he’s going to be a Maverick next year,” Harrison said (Twitter link via Curtis).

Luka Doncic Discusses Mavs’ Harrison, Conditioning Criticism, More

April 19th, 2025 at 7:39am CST by Luke Adams

Roughly two-and-a-half months removed from the trade that sent him from Dallas to Los Angeles, Luka Doncic sat down with ESPN’s Malika Andrews (YouTube link) ahead of the Lakers‘ first-round playoff series with Minnesota and said he still hasn’t talked to Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison since the deal.

Speaking to select Dallas-based media earlier this week for the first time in over two months, Harrison said he had “no regrets” about the trade and repeated the mantra “defense wins championships” when asked why he didn’t feel that the Doncic-led core that made the NBA Finals last season was capable of winning a championship.

Doncic was asked by Andrews what he thought of Harrison’s comments.

“It’s just sad the way he’s talking right now,” the Lakers’ star said (story via Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com). “I never say anything bad about him, and I just want to move on. The fans, my ex-teammates, I’ll always keep at heart. It’s time for me to move on from there.”

Doncic admitted that he didn’t take the news of the trade well — he said he threw his phone across the room, cracking it, when he first learned he’d been dealt out of Dallas, and repeatedly asked if it was an early “April 1st” joke.

“Sadness, mostly,” Doncic said of his initial feelings. “I was still in shock. Like, crazy shock. I felt like my heart was broken, honestly.”

In the wake of the trade, numerous reports out of Dallas indicated the Mavericks had concerns about Doncic’s work ethic, diet, and conditioning issues. While it was impossible for the five-time All-Star to avoid those reports, he said he tried to ignore them and move forward with his new team, rather than dwelling on what went wrong with the Mavs.

“I mean it’s painful, depending on how you take it,” Doncic said. “It mostly came from Dallas, so I didn’t want to talk back. But I don’t really read that much stuff. I’m just trying to focus on my journey.”

Asked by Andrews if he had envisioned playing his entire career in Dallas prior to the trade, Doncic replied, “Of course. That’s an easy question.”

He’s no longer eligible for the five-year, super-max extension that the Mavericks could have offered him this summer, but Doncic will have the ability this offseason to sign a new contract with the Lakers that could be worth up to a projected $229MM over four years, beginning in 2026/27.

It remains to be seen whether the 26-year-old would prefer that long-term extension or a shorter-term contract that would put him in better position to maximize his future earnings, but it sounds like he’ll have interest in getting a deal done with the Lakers. Asked by Andrews if he wants to stay in Los Angeles, Doncic offered a succinct, straightforward reply.

“Yes,” he said.

Southwest Notes: Thompson, Harrison, Dumars, Udoka

April 17th, 2025 at 10:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks‘ play-in game victory in Sacramento had special meaning to Klay Thompson. He scored 23 points against the Kings, making five three-pointers along the way. Thompson missed all 10 of his field goal attempts last season against Sacramento in the play-in tournament, which wound up being his last game in a Warriors uniform.

“I wasn’t going to define myself off one bad shooting night,” he said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I mean, I’ve had some of the greatest shooting nights in the history of the game. So even someone in my caliber can go 0-for. … I try to not even think about that, but at times you do because you’re human. But you just keep going out there and do what you love.”

Dallas will now battle the Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed on Friday.

“I’m still alive. I’m excited,” Thompson said. “I get to go to Memphis. It was really fun (Wednesday) because you could just be fully immersed in the experience, and we’ve had a tumultuous season, to say the least. The injury bug has struck us like I’ve never seen before, but we’re still here playing postseason basketball.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison‘s contentious press conference, in which he stated he didn’t regret trading Luka Doncic, wasn’t something he suggested, ESPN’s Sham Charania tweets. “Nico Harrison did not want to do this closed-door roundtable. This was not his idea,” Charania said during an appearance on NBA Countdown. “This was something that was enforced by their owner, Patrick Dumont.”
Now that Joe Dumars has been officially hired as the Pelicans president of basketball operations, he has two big decisions to make, Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes. His first major decision will be whether to retain head coach Willie Green. As the offseason progresses, he’ll have to choose whether to retain Zion Williamson as the franchise player or trade him and take the franchise in another direction.
Dumars has spent the last three years as the NBA’s head of basketball operations and commissioner Adam Silver thanked him for his service in a statement relayed by The Athletic’s Sam Amick (Twitter link). “Joe brought tremendous credibility to his role at the league office and is one of the most genuine and respected people in all of basketball,” Silver said. “His exceptional playing career and tenure as an executive provided him with an elite understanding of the game and strong relationships around the NBA. We are grateful for Joe’s leadership over the past three years and wish him well as he begins his new role with the Pelicans.”
The Warriors are actually the betting favorite to win their first-round series against Houston even though the Rockets are the No. 2 seed. Much of that is due to Golden State’s wealth of playoff experience — Rockets coach Ime Udoka says he and his staff will have to do their best to neutralize that advantage. “The experience for our young guys will be new,” he hold Mark Medina of Athlon Sports. “But as far as me and my staff and what we’ve experienced, I don’t think there is a whole lot that’s going to surprise us or be different. It’s just our young guys getting experience for the first time and going through the playoff prep and all the specifics of how much more you have to dig in.”

Mavericks Hope Kyrie Irving Can Return By January, Eye Three-Year Contract

April 16th, 2025 at 8:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks are optimistic that Kyrie Irving could be playing again by January, Shams Charania of ESPN said on Wednesday during an appearance on NBA Countdown (Twitter video link).

Irving suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on March 3 and underwent surgery about three weeks later. The team didn’t provide a recovery timetable following the procedure, but players can often take a year or more to come back from ACL tears. If Charania’s timeline is accurate, Irving is on track to fully recover within about 10 months.

The 33-year-old guard was playing at an All-NBA level before the untimely injury, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists through 50 games with .473/.401/.916 shooting numbers. In February, he was selected as an All-Star for the ninth time in his career.

The loss of Irving sent the Mavs into a spiral that resulted in a 39-43 record, a 10th-place finish in the West and a spot in tonight’s play-in game. They were often short on personnel as their two-way players used up their eligibility, and they were unable to fill an open roster spot until April 10 due to a first-apron hard cap.

The more immediate issue with Irving is a nearly $44MM player option that he holds for next season. His decision is due by June 25, and Charania hears that the Mavericks would prefer to sign him to a new three-year contract. That would align him with Anthony Davis as well as general manager Nico Harrison.