It has been a difficult past few weeks for Dallas Mavericks GM, Nico Harrison. While it seemed like he might finally have a chance to come to terms with the Texas basketball community after the franchise landed Cooper Flagg during the offseason, their 0-2 start to the season did not let that happen. The Mavericks, though, finally clinched their first win of the season last night, but Nico knows that isn’t enough to calm the charged fans. Well, he has a new update to treat the Mavs loyalists!

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks have finally decided to honor the only other No. 1 pick in their illustrious history until this summer, Mark Aguirre, by retiring his jersey numbers. “Long overdue: The Mavericks announce they will retire Mark Aguirre’s No. 24 on Jan. 29 against Charlotte,” Stein reported. Aguirre, who was selected first overall back in 1981 and played for Dallas until 1989, will finally have his legacy honored by the franchise.

It was a special moment for the 65-year-old veteran, who reportedly received the news this morning from Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont. But many feel this recognition has been long overdue. So why did the Dallas front office choose to honor him now?

Some believe it’s a strategic move by general manager Nico Harrison to improve his standing with fans. After months of criticism and growing frustration among the Dallas faithful, this gesture might be his way of regaining their trust. After all, we’ve already witnessed how furious the Dallas fans were with Harrison after the now-infamous Luka Doncic trade, especially after their terrible performances after executing that move.

Not to mention, things took an even worse turn with Anthony Davis suffering an injury on his debut. Nonetheless, while everyone felt like the dust had finally settled and there was some optimism around the Mavericks organization, the team’s winless start once again led the fans to publicly voice their opinions.

“Fire Nico” chants once again took over the American Airlines Center after a loss to the Wizards

There still seems to be a lot of animosity between Dallas Mavericks executive Nico Harrison and the team’s fanbase. This comes nearly nine months after he decided to trade the franchise’s starting point guard and fan-favorite Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. It seems like the fans are still calling for his job, especially after the team couldn’t get past a Washington Wizards team that had only 16 wins last season. It all started late in the fourth quarter of Dallas’ 117-107 loss to Washington.

As soon as the Mavericks fans inside the American Airlines Center realized that another defeat was coming their way, they started chanting “Fire Nico! Fire Nico!” at the top of their voices. Fuel to fire, even the franchise’s head coach, Jason Kidd, acknowledged the fans “have a right to vent” against the team’s management.

“This is a different team. This is a new team. We are just getting to understand each other. We will keep learning each other. I would say be patient. But I understand the frustration,” Kidd further said. “We all want to win. We all want to compete at a high level. This is a game of expression. Fans have a right to express themselves. That doesn’t stop us from coming to work tomorrow and getting better and getting ready for Sunday.” 

HC understands that it’s not a race but a marathon, but you can’t keep fans waiting for good results for long. Yes, Nico Harrison has made a quick jump to win over the fans by announcing Mark Aguirre’s jersey retirement, but things will not change if the Mavs fail to win every other night.

Their first W of the season is surely a boost, but just one win won’t cut it. That’s because after making that Doncic-Davis trade, the Mavs GM emphasized building a win-now team, and this season he’ll have to back up his statements. So now, whether the Mavericks finally make a deep playoff run or not could ultimately decide his future with the franchise.