Mavericks' next GM target surfaces after Nico Harrison's sudden exit

The Dallas Mavericks' fanbase was shaken up for the second time in nine months earlier today, as Nico Harrison was fired following a 3-8 start to the season. Harrison's firing wasn't nearly as shocking as Luka Doncic being traded, but this was the best solution for both parties, as wretched as things had gotten, and now the Mavericks will need to search for a new GM.

While Dallas has promoted Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi to run the the franchise's basketball operations on an interim basis, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported minority owner Mark Cuban has already suggested Dallas go after ex-senior advisor Dennis Lindsey, who is now second-highest in command in the Detroit Pistons' front office.

MacMahon also wrote how Cuban and current governor Patrick Dumont have been in frequent dialogue recently, so perhaps Dumont is becoming more receptive to Cuban's advice and suggestions, though it should be noted that Dumont still has the final say on any basketball moves the Mavericks make.

Mark Cuban wants Patrick Dumont to hire Dennis Lindsey as GM

There's no guarantee Dumont will instantly hire Lindsey because of this suggestion from Cuban, but with Lindsey having been an advisor in Dallas' organization during the 2023-24 season in which they went to the NBA Finals, he isn't too far removed from the organization and also helped revamp the Pistons into a prospective contender this season alongside Trajan Langdon.

Lindsey also served as the Utah Jazz's GM for roughly nine seasons until 2021, so he'd be a far more vetted and experienced candidate compared to Dallas' last GM hire in Harrison, as Harrison had never worked in a basketball operations capacity before joining the Mavericks despite his experience dealing with star basketball players in recruitment scenarios for Nike.

Idealistically speaking, Dallas' next GM would exhibit both experience in basketball operations as well as being someone who can relate well to this generation of players, but they must be very thorough in their search process, as they'd also prefer to find someone who can get along well with head coach Jason Kidd.

Lindsey's previous experience in Dallas' front office should bode well if the Mavericks elect to go after him and interview him, but teams rarely have to sift through hiring a GM midseason, which could make things difficult in terms of trying to poach away someone like Lindsey, who is still currently the Pistons' Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations.

The Mavericks will likely look at other candidates too, and it's uncertain how much they'll prioritize hiring a GM at this juncture of the season, or if they'd have a more extensive search process after the season is over, while they let Riccardi and Finley run the team in the interim.

Lindsey is certainly the first name to be tossed out in any substantial report, but it would be extremely surprising if Dallas hired Lindsey on a whim and didn't conduct an extensive search process before honing in on their next GM, and the Mavericks will likely evaluate Riccardi and Finley's performance in the interim to see if it's worth to promote from within as well.

The Mavericks may have a lot of questions surrounding their front office structure and competency going forward, but Nico Harrison remaining as the spearhead of this organization will not be one of them, which is extremely relieving for Mavericks fans after the Doncic trade, as they can finally have some closure even if victories don't follow suit.