Nico Harrison's failure is forcing brutal Mavericks trade decisions

If nothing else, Nico Harrison made his vision for the Dallas Mavericks clear: prioritize size, physicality, and defense above all. But that vision quickly unraveled. Since the ill-fated trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks have gone 36–69 and fired Harrison along the way. It's a collapse that will almost certainly force an offseason shakeup, likely through trades.

Nico Harrison's vision and its backfire

Dallas does have two first-round picks to help address their flawed roster, but two rookies won’t be nearly enough to fix it. Harrison didn’t just acquire physically imposing talent; he committed to it long-term, handing out multiple contract extensions in the process.

As a result, trades will be the Mavericks’ best path to reshaping the roster.

The Mavericks have already explored moving Daniel Gafford, and he's under contract through 2029. Still, several more players from the Harrison era could emerge as trade candidates this summer.

Comparable players, including Caleb Martin, P.J. Washington, and potentially Naji Marshall, could also emerge as trade candidates. Klay Thompson may be another veteran Dallas looks to move.

While these players are all serviceable, the common thread is that their premier skill set lies in one specific area. Aside from Thompson, they’ve largely made a living off their physicality. Thompson, meanwhile, provides knockdown three-point shooting and not much else at this stage of his career.

Building around Cooper Flagg

These players fit neatly around Doncic, a high-usage, ball-dominant scorer whose playmaking warped defenses. Without him, however, the Mavericks are far more free-flowing. Cooper Flagg is the only Maverick with a usage rate north of 25 percent, and his skill set is better complemented by shooting and additional playmaking.

That’s not to say shooting didn’t complement Luka Doncic (it did), but it’s far more essential around Flagg. Doncic’s otherworldly passing made shooters effective in virtually any lineup. Flagg’s need for spacing, however, is different. The 19-year-old is shooting just 28.4 percent from three on 3.4 attempts per game, meaning he needs shooting around him not only to reach his potential, but also for the Mavericks to field a more balanced roster.

This season, Dallas has been severely hampered by a lack of shooting. They rank 29th in the league in three-point field goals per game and 27th in three-point percentage. Most concerning, they make just 34.5 percent of wide-open threes (six-plus feet of space), the worst mark in the NBA by a wide margin.

Yet, this conundrum isn’t surprising. Harrison helped steer Dallas from one of the league’s most three-point-heavy teams to a squad that can’t hit the broad side of a barn.

Trades are now essential for the Mavericks to improve. Washington might have complemented Doncic as a physically imposing forward, but that’s no longer relevant. His fit alongside the equally physical Flagg has been disastrous.

Trades are the only way forward

There are plenty of other examples, and negative two-man ratings highlight just how poorly these trade candidates fit alongside Flagg. With Flagg now at the center of the Mavericks’ roster, he is the player around whom all roster-building decisions must revolve.

Harrison may have understood this with Doncic in tow, but his abrupt decision to part ways with the superstar not only tarnished his reputation and upset Mavericks fans but it also derailed the roster to the point that a series of trades will be necessary to fix this mismatched team.