Mavericks' Anthony Davis plan emerges following critical Nico Harrison firing

In a shocking turn of events following his February 1 trade of Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison was fired just 11 games into the 2025-26 season, as the Mavericks had gone 3-8 leading up to Veterans Day, and it seems unlikely Harrison will ever get a job in the league again.

Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont was at the forefront of this decision, and Dumont also seems to be at the forefront of securing a relationship with Anthony Davis and his agent Rich Paul, as NBA insider Marc Stein reported Paul and Dumont have been in regular contact since February and have forged a strong relationship.

Obviously, this doesn't give wind to Dallas' next step with Davis whatsoever, but many fans want the Mavericks to blow up the ship and trade Davis, given how Davis and Harrison's relationship was the defining factor in Davis coming to Dallas, as well as the fact that Davis has struggled staying on the court throughout his Dallas tenure. However, it's clear that whatever course of action Dallas takes with Davis next won't be in a blindsiding fashion like Harrison's abrasive Doncic trade.

Dumont will be in lockstep with Davis and Rich Paul going forward

While Dumont has shown his inexperience and naivety as an owner following the Doncic trade, it's clear he can only take so much fan backlash and discontentment, especially with the Mavericks getting off to a horrendous start this season, so it was the right move to part ways with Harrison.

However, determining Davis' future in Dallas may take some more time for Dumont, as the Mavericks are already in the midst of a lot of chaos right now, and Davis' trade value isn't as high as it was nine months ago. There's still a lot of basketball to be played this season, and the Mavericks could still somewhat get things moving in the right direction, as their payroll makes it hard to excuse tanking unless they have a complete fire-sale at the trade deadline.

This isn't to say the Mavericks can establish themselves as contenders or anything of the sort, but it's good Dumont has a working relationship with Davis' agent in Paul in this instance, as there needs to be constant communication between the parties considering the stakes involved here.

Say the Mavericks continue to suck for the next 15-20 games, at that point it would make a lot more sense to seriously consider tanking and trying to get Davis off the books, especially if he can net a few more solid performances in a Mavericks uniform and get healthier before then.

However, if the Mavericks were to start rattling off some wins in the near future, then keeping Davis around might be the play, as the Mavericks desperately need to re-establish a winning culture, and Davis is their most crucial asset, so Dumont and company must play their cards carefully in this situation.

There was a little bit of greyness in the aforementioned post on X from Stein in regard to what Harrison's exit necessarily means for Davis' future in Dallas, but it's more than likely this ends up being a fluid situation, as it would be absolutely insane if Dallas traded Davis directly after firing Harrison, as figuring out their next GM should be their first priority regardless of how bad the Mavericks have looked up to this point, as the season is still extremely young just 11 games in.