On Monday night, as Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington stepped on the free-throw line with the game on the line, the chants around the American Airlines Center were not to cheer him. On the contrary, they were to show their discontent with the team’s GM, Nico Harrison, who traded away Luka Doncic last season. Now, less than 24 hours later, those “Fire Nico” chants are close to becoming a reality.

After Dallas’ dreadful start to the 2025-26 season, which currently sees them possess a 3-8 record and just one place above the bottom position in the Western Conference, majority owner Patrick Dumont has seemingly decided to let go of Nico Harrison. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the longtime Mavericks front office executive is all set to be fired in a team meeting on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.

“BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks and owner Patrick Dumont are expected to fire general manager Nico Harrison at a 10 am Central Time meeting on Tuesday, sources tell me and Tim MacMahon,” the insider reporter on X (formerly Twitter). This indicates that the end of Harrison’s four-plus season tenure is nearing an end today.

Nonetheless, as harsh as it may sound, the Mavericks general manager had it coming. After all, not only is he almost single-handedly responsible for one of the most shocking trades in the league’s history, but he has also truly derailed Dallas’s championship expectations from just over two seasons ago. Anthony Davis, who was supposed to help the franchise’s win-now cause, has failed big time as well.

Just this season alone, the headline name for the Mavericks in that deal has missed five games due to a calf strain. And even when he does play, the Mavericks look nowhere near their self-proclaimed championship level. Davis’ acquisition in exchange for Luka Doncic has been so one-sided that even Patrick Dumont himself has attested to the trade being a huge mistake recently to a fan.

Patrick Dumont accepts that trading Luka Doncic was a mistake

Last night, Dallas Mavericks governor, Patrick Dumont, surprised many as he was spotted sitting next to a teenager wearing a Los Angeles Lakers No. 77 jersey and having a casual conversation. The scene of, of course, mind-boggling for some, as not too long ago, Dumont was a strong supporter of Nico Harrison’s decision to trade away Luka Doncic.

Nonetheless, the fan sitting courtside with Dumont was seemingly an 18-year-old Mavs faithful, Nicholas Dickason. Although no one knew what the Mavericks owner and Dickason chatted about for roughly five minutes, the Preston Hollow native later revealed the details of his conversation with Dumont. He stated that the conversation he had with Dumont was about an inappropriate gesture he made toward him.

“When I was on the way out, I was talking smack to Patrick and ended up flipping him off on my way out of the game (Mavericks opening night loss vs. the Spurs),” he told The Dallas Morning News. “My dad saw me flip Patrick off and was like, ‘That’s not OK. The next time you’re at a game, you have to apologize to Patrick.”

Not only was Patrick Dumont receptive to Dickason’s apology, but he also suggested that the Mavericks owner showed a level of remorse for the Luka Doncic trade. “He said he was trying to do what’s best for the organization, and ‘Sometimes you have good intentions and you make mistakes.’ We all do it.” Dickason narrated.

By the looks of things, Patrick Dumont took responsibility for the trade and accepted that it was a wrong decision to trade away the franchise’s superstar point guard. However, now the time for reflecting has gone, as the Mavericks now need to focus on the remainder of the season and try to turn around this disastrous start.