Why Nico Harrison’s replacement must trade Anthony Davis to build around Cooper Flagg

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Why Nico Harrison’s replacement must trade Anthony Davis to build around Cooper Flagg

Rishabh Bhatnagar, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Wed, Nov 12, 2025 ·

3 min read

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The post Why Nico Harrison's replacement must trade Anthony Davis to build around Cooper Flagg appeared first on ClutchPoints .

The Dallas Mavericks ' 2025–26 NBA season has quickly descended into chaos, and the firing of Nico Harrison has compounded their terrible start to the season. While there may be plenty of questions about why the move was not made earlier, the focus now shifts to the future, and the present.

The Mavericks have suffered a brutal 3-8 start to the season amid some crucial injuries, and will now look to make amends. And while in the short term, their hands may be tied, an obvious potential implication revolves around the future of Anthony Davis .

Cooper Flagg may not have enjoyed the best start to life in the NBA despite showing flashes of brilliance. However, the Mavericks are also not optimized to make the best of his talents, which starts with the obvious difference in timeline between Flagg and the rest of Dallas' stars.

Trading Anthony Davis appears inevitable

Trading Anthony Davis does not even sound outlandish despite him arriving as part of the deal that saw the Mavericks part ways with their biggest asset since the Dirk Nowitzki days in Luka Doncic . At the onset, much can be said about AD's lack of fit alongside Flagg.

However, great basketball players can learn to play together, and the problem in this scenario appears to be far more obvious. Not only is AD one of the most injury-prone superstars in modern NBA, his production has also gone down.

Davis has played a grand total of 14 games for the Mavericks thus far per Basketball Reference, and while he may be a better fit timeline-wise alongside Kyrie Irving , Dallas looks intent on building around Flagg. The simple fact is that the Mavericks' short-term ambitions simply don't align with either AD or Irving.

The Mavericks currently rank 29th in offensive rating and have struggled to get points on board despite having the third-best defensive rating in the NBA thus far. Cooper Flagg has also faced an uphill battle in his rookie season and has been begging for help in light of recent injuries.

The Mavericks(and the rest of the NBA) see him as a generational two-way wing. However, with Irving out as well, the lack of a ball-handler has meant Flagg has been forced into an unfamiliar role. And while the blame undoubtedly lies with Harrison and the surprise manner in which the Mavericks even landed Flagg in the first place, plenty of changes seem to be on the horizon.

Regardless, the decision to trade Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, Max Christie , and a distant 2029 first-round pick can squarely be blamed for Harrison's ousting, which comes alongside Luka Doncic nearly averaging 40 points and a triple-double every game. In such a scenario, the first thing the Mavs undoubtedly need to do is push Flagg back into a more familiar role by adding a genuine playmaking guard.

Davis remains one of the most gifted two-way players in the game when healthy, but the problem is how rarely that's been the case. He began the season overweight, has already missed games due to a calf injury and continues to play limited minutes.

That, alongside the fact that he is owed $58.4 million next season and has a 2027–28 player option worth $62.7 million, the Mavs may even struggle to get the right value. However, the firing of Harrison was not a move the front office wanted to make.

Instead, they had their hands forced, especially considering the kind of response fans have reserved for the now ex-GM in recent months. That suggests that the Mavs already recognize the mistakes that have led to an ageing roster and their difficult start to the season.

In that sense, with Harrison out of the picture, his successor's first job would be to ensure Dallas doubles down on Flagg by actually building a team around the rookie.

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