Through the first nine games of the regular season, the Dallas Mavericks find themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 2-7 record. It’s been a messy start to the 2025-26 campaign, as the team just isn’t meshing well right now.
As a result, an old viral video of Nico Harrison defending his job after trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers has resurfaced on social media. Back in April, following the Mavericks’ general manager’s controversial trade, Harrison was asked point-blank why he shouldn’t be fired for trading away the 26-year-old superstar.
In the clip, Nico Harrison confidently claimed that Dallas would be competing for a championship in the 2025-26 season. “I think I’ve done a really good job here,” said Harrison. “And I don’t think I can be judged by the injuries this year. You have to judge the totality from beginning to end. You’ll see next year when our team comes back, we’re going to be competing for a championship.”
It’s still early in the season, but the Mavericks look anything but championship contenders at the moment. Injuries to key players Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II certainly don’t help the situation. This has forced Dallas to lean heavily on rookie Cooper Flagg.
Although Flagg is considered a prolific prospect with franchise-altering potential, he’s still a rookie adjusting to the professional level. Getting healthy remains the team’s top priority if they hope to turn things around.
There is still plenty of time for the Mavericks to right the ship. However, if the losing trend continues, things could start to get dicey for Nico Harrison.
Dallas will have a chance to earn its third win of the season on Saturday when the Mavericks take on the Washington Wizards at 7 p.m. EST. Washington is one of just three teams with a worse record than the Mavs, presenting a key opportunity for Dallas to bounce back.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-nico-harrison-defending-job-luka-doncic-trade-viral-early-season-struggles