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Dirk Nowitzki Replaces Nico Harrison? How Likely Is It After Mavericks Fire GM
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- Dirk Nowitzki Replaces Nico Harrison? How Likely Is It After Mavericks Fire GM
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Could Dirk Nowitzki be the next general manager of the Dallas Mavericks ? The job is now open after the rumors about Nico Harrison's future became a reality on Tuesday.
It was always likely that Harrison's decision to shockingly trade young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February would go down in infamy. Doncic is one of the five best players on Earth . Any trade should have landed the Mavs a massive return. However, the Dallas GM moved in the shadows and took an offer from LA that netted him a single first-round pick and injury-prone future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis .
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The decision immediately put his job in serious jeopardy. Dallas getting off to a 3-8 start this season only made matters worse. Plus, Doncic, averaging a near triple-double with 37 points over the first 11 games of the season, hasn't helped either. It put extreme heat on Harrison, and it led to rumblings last week that his time in Dallas was nearing an end.
On Tuesday, the speculation was put to rest when ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania was first to break the news that owner Patrick Dumont had seen enough and dismissed Harrison after four years with the organization.
According to fellow insider Tim McMahon, executives Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi will oversee basketball operations on an interim basis. Meaning the job is up for grabs as the organization evaluates the options to replace Nico Harrison. Which begs the question: Could team icon Dirk Nowitzki be that man?
Dirk Nowitzki won't replace Nico Harrison as Dallas Mavericks GM
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Dirk Nowitzki is the greatest player in Dallas Mavericks history. And following the Luka Doncic trade earlier this year, his spot at the top in the hearts of many fans will remain unchallenged for a very long time. Following his exit from the league in 2019, the 14-time All-Star did what many great players do and took his talents to the front office as an advisor.
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"When I sort of got closer to retirement, the first thing I thought was I'm gonna go into management, I'm gonna go work with the Mavs," Nowitzki told Haymaker Network recently. "It's a natural fit there, and of course, my last few years, I was sort of prepping for it. I went to the Draft room always and kinda of saw what the behind the scenes were."
However, he also revealed that after seeing all the time that is invested by staff during the offseason, he realized management of an NBA team just wasn't for him.
"That just didn't sound great to me," Nowitzki admitted. "As long as I've been out, I really enjoyed travelling with the family and spending some time away. Now, I actually can't see that in my future, honestly. Being part of management is just something that would be too much at this point."
The Mavericks are expected to give Finley and Riccardi a tryout in the top front office spots, as well as look into other internal and external options. According to long-time Dallas insider Marc Stein , some inside the organization are pushing to bring back former Harrison adviser Dennis Lindsey. He is currently serving as the top assistant to Detroit Pistons head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon.
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