Former Mavericks staffer takes shot at Nico Harrison after Knicks' NBA Finals win

Following last night's thrilling NBA Finals win over the San Antonio Spurs, former Dallas Mavericks Director of Player Health and Performance and current New York Knicks Vice President of Sports Medicine, Casey Smith, had some choice words for the Mavericks, and probably Nico Harrison.

Casey Smith gets the last laugh on Nico Harrison

Smith was a beloved member of the Mavericks' training staff for nearly 20 years under Mark Cuban before Harrison fired him after the 2022-23 season. He made his feelings about Dallas loud and clear after the Knicks' win last night. His tweet was a direct message to the Mavericks' Harrison-led regime that fired him, and he didn't hold back.

Smith made sure to tag Jalen Brunson, Peter Patton, and Heather Mau as well in this message. Brunson played the first four seasons of his career for Dallas before signing with the Knicks, and Patton and Mau, like Smith, worked for the Mavericks before joining New York's staff. Patton worked for Dallas until the summer of 2023, just like Smith, and Mau worked for the Mavs until the summer of 2024.

Patton was a shooting coach for Dallas for five years while Mau worked on Smith's staff as an assistant athletic trainer. Both of them were let go by Harrison's regime in back-to-back offseasons, but later headed to New York. This is the regime that Smith was calling out in his post, as they were let go from their former positions in Dallas for reasons that may not have been reasonable.

Now they're NBA Champions.

How did Smith call out the Mavs?

Smith directly called out the Mavericks and Harrison, saying, "they said we weren't a good fit for their culture. Said we weren’t good enough in our roles."

This was obviously a shot at the people who let him, Mau, and Patton go, and Harrison was at the head of the snake when each of these departures happened, as the former Mavs general manager didn't get fired until November 2025.

Culture must have been one of the reasons Harrison claimed he fired Smith for via a video call while he was visiting his ill mother, and Smith obviously gets the last laugh here after winning the NBA Finals last night. Smith was one of the best trainers in the entire NBA before being let go by Dallas, and the award he won last season reflects this.

Smith and his Knicks staff were named the NBA Trainers Association's Athletic Training Staff of the Year for the 2024-25 season. He also won this award twice while in Dallas, making Harrison's decision to let him go look even more unbelievable.

Smith's tweet this morning at 3:34 AM CT encapsulates his frustration about Harrison's staff in Dallas that let him go, and no one is more deserving of winning an NBA title than he and his staff. He was loved in Dallas by Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki, and the Mavericks' decision to let him go snowballed into a disaster over the last two seasons.

Smith's departure hurt Dallas

The Mavericks have been one of the most injury-riddled teams in the NBA as of late, and because of this, they've missed the NBA Playoffs in back-to-back seasons. This is partially due to the medical staff Harrison put in place, and Masai Ujiri is looking to clean things up in this department this summer.

Smith still has a special place in his heart for Dallas and his time with the organization, but it's evident he is not fond of the Mavericks staff that sent him packing despite being one of the best in the league at his job. Nico, the man responsible for firing Smith, was fired by the Mavericks early in the 2025-26 season and will likely never get another job running an NBA front office.

Smith, on the other hand, is now a two-time NBA Champion. He would've likely remained with the Mavericks until he retired if Harrison hadn't fired him, and his resume speaks for itself.

Dallas now has a new front office leading the way into the future with Ujiri and Mike Schmitz, and unfortunately for them, it's their job to clean up the mess that Harrison started.

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