Mavericks plot dramatic shakeup that will deeply enrage Nico Harrison

The Dallas Mavericks have been the laughingstock of the NBA over the past few months, and fans are seemingly dreading every time the Mavericks appear in the news cycle, as it seems the PR onslaught from the Luka Doncic trade won't be coming to an end any time soon. The Mavericks are in a perilous position right now, having to watch the NBA Playoffs the rest of the way, as they didn't originally have plans of missing the playoffs after making the NBA Finals just last season.

Due to injuries as well as the repercussions from the trade deadline, Nico Harrison's vision for Dallas didn't work out this season, and now Harrison will attempt to do his best job to re-tool this Mavericks roster this summer. One of the biggest moves Dallas should make this summer is re-signing Kyrie Irving, and though the terms of such a contract haven't been confirmed by any reports yet, it wouldn't be surprising to see Dallas give Irving a bountiful sum of money even after the 33-year-old guard tore his ACL on March 3.

Dallas has to move carefully with Irving and his camp in preliminary discussions, as there are not a lot of clear contingency plans this offseason if Irving were to up and dip because of the dysfunction stemming deep into Dallas' upper brass. One way the Mavericks could aid that process, as well as any other moves they are trying to make this offseason, would be by bringing in another voice into the front office.

Patrick Dumont eyes move to limit Nico Harrison's future damage

After Harrison's 2025 trade deadline epically flopped through the end of this season, it seems Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont isn't instilling the same blind trust he once had in Harrison that allowed him to trade Doncic to Los Angeles. Dumont is even recognizing the need for checks and balances inside Dallas' front office, as ESPN's Tim MacMahon recently gave an intriguing update as to what Dumont may do while on "The Right Time with Bomani Jones" podcast.

"Now, the 'In Nico we trust era' has ended," MacMahon said. "He wants him to bring in an experienced [executive]. I think he's realized he's got to have some checks and balances that weren't in place." This insight from MacMahon isn't a huge surprise considering how badly Harrison screwed up on February 1, but with Dumont giving Harrison the green light throughout his entire time in Dallas thus far, this is a significant development in terms of hindering Harrison's power within the organization.

Harrison objectively has good relationships with players across the league from his Nike days, and that's a huge reason as to why Mark Cuban hired him in 2021. However, how players and people are viewing Harrison league-wide has likely changed a great deal since then, and Dallas needs more respectable players in their front office.

Some players may not care, but Harrison's cutthroat operative style in terms of how he traded his franchise superstar and fired ex-athletic trainer Casey Smith over a Zoom call while he was tending to his ailing mother, are not factors prospective free agents would likely be happy about when considering coming to the Mavericks or not.

With Harrison still at the helm, this is something that continues to hurt the Mavericks till he's gone, but bringing in another voice in the room should only make things better. Harrison clearly wants full control of the front office, but he'll have no choice but to bargain with Dumont's decision to bring in another executive if and when Dumont chooses to do this.

Given Harrison's desire for power, he'll probably be angered if Dumont brings in someone who can't see eye-to-eye with Harrison, but this is the least Dumont could do after he let Harrison completely compromise Dallas' franchise for years to come by letting the Doncic trade slip through the cracks. Who knows when this potential move may come, but it's becoming ever clearer that Harrison's power within Dallas' organization won't ever be at the level it was when he was able to make the Doncic trade.