Mavericks' search for Nico Harrison replacement gets rumored twist fans will love

The Dallas Mavericks lost a debilitating game to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, falling 120-96, as Dallas was still suffering from the injury bug and was playing a Timberwolves team on the second night of a back-to-back coming from Dallas.

This was the fourth game in a row the Mavericks played since Nico Harrison was fired, as Matt Riccardi and Michael Finely have acted as interim co-general managers ever since, but Dallas' GM search recently got an update that fans have been waiting for. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Dennis Lindsey would be interested (subscription required) in joining Dallas' front office per early rumbles.

Lindsey is the only known external GM candidate that has been named for the Mavericks through any reports since the Harrison news. broke, as he played a role in helping construct Dallas' 2024 NBA Finals squad, but joined the Detroit Pistons the following summer to be second in command behind Trajan Langdon. Lindsey was the lead executive with the Utah Jazz for nearly a decade before getting to Dallas, helping resurge the franchise with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert toward the end of his tenure.

Early signs suggest Dennis Lindsey reciprocates Mavericks' interest

Lindsey's basketball acumen is solid, but he's not one of these big-time GMs that have been to the mountaintop and back with their organizations, such as former Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri. By no means does it seem like Dallas is zeroing in on Lindsey quite yet, as it's still very early in their search process, but it will be interesting to see if they prefer someone who could bring some sort of continuity to the franchise, such as Lindsey or Finley, or if they go with a more vetted candidate.

From the perspective that Lindsey has done a great job alongside Langdon in Detroit ever since he left Dallas, it makes sense why he seems to be the only external GM candidate at this very moment, as there aren't many people in prominent front office roles around the league whose team is doing amazing, while also having worked in Dallas' front office in the past. It's also worth noting that Lindsey seems to be Mark Cuban's No. 1 choice for GM, as Patrick Dumont has welcomed his voice within basketball decisions once again.

Lindsey or whoever ultimately ends up leading Dallas' front office will undoubtedly have their work cut out for them, as the Mavericks are in a state of disarray right now with their record (4-11) and injuries. Major changes such as trading Anthony Davis or Daniel Gafford could be on the table, though it's still too early in the season for any of these moves to happen imminently, especially with there being an interim front office structure in Dallas right now.

The Mavericks' primary focus should be on getting healthy and trying to put the best product on the floor every night, as that's what will help bolster their chances of being able to make solid seller-type moves once the trade deadline rolls around if they choose to go in that direction, but who knows what sort of vision Lindsey would bring to Dallas in a lead role.

That being said, it will be very interesting to monitor the direction of this Mavericks franchise over the next year or so without Harrison as captain of the ship, as it could go a variety of different ways depending on team success, as well as who the new GM hire will be.