The Dallas Mavericks were supposed to be a super-team by now. One year removed from a surprise NBA Finals appearance, the franchise entered the offseason with expectations and excitement. Then came chaos. The kind that forces legends to speak up and owners to admit they got played. Dirk Nowitzki, the face of the franchise for over two decades, has mostly stayed in the background since retirement. He’s been busy with his foundation and broadcasting duties with Amazon Prime. 

As Nowitzki spoke ahead of his foundation’s 7th Annual Celebrity Tennis Classic. Fans hang on his every word, given his unmatched legacy, 14 All-Star nods, a Finals MVP, and that unforgettable 2011 ring. Dirk offered a candid assessment that may echo far beyond charity courts and podcast segments. And it directly puts Nico Harrison under the spotlight. Dirk is as diplomatic as ever. But even diplomacy can carry weight.

“I think they’re pretty stacked,” Dirk said as per a recent post by Mike Curtis on X, when asked how he sees the Mavericks now from his new analyst role. “I’ve been saying it the last few weeks. It all depends on health.” Dereck Lively II underwent surgery for bone spurs in his right foot in July, but he is expected to be ready for training camp. Anthony Davis repaired a detached retina in July after multiple eye injuries last season. Kyrie Irving tears his ACL, sidelining him until at least January.

Nowitzki’s concern spotlights Harrison’s gamble, the Doncic trade that reshaped the Mavs but left them vulnerable. Health derails contenders, and with Flagg as the shiny new piece, any slip could torch Harrison’s credibility. Cuban already fingered him as the trade’s architect who iced out the old guard. Nowitzki’s health caveat amps the pressure: fix the fragility, or Harrison pays the ultimate price.

The Mavs chased contention after the 2024 Finals run, but the February 2025 blockbuster flipped everything. It’s been seven months since the Mavericks shipped Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a single first-round pick in 2029. Nico Harrison signed off on the deal. Ownership approved it. And Mark Cuban, who once ruled the franchise with the energy of a courtside diehard, found out the way fans did after the fact.

The results have been ugly. The Mavericks spent much of last season scrambling for stability, with their rotation and starting five in constant flux. Injuries to key big men repeatedly forced bench players into major roles, while midseason trades further disrupted continuity. After Dallas reached the Finals, the roster told the story: all nine heavy-minute contributors had either missed significant time or been acquired midyear.

The persistent injury bug hit hardest in the frontcourt. Dallas cycled through centers and forwards at a dizzying rate, with Jason Kidd making frequent, sometimes last-minute, adjustments simply to keep the lineup competitive. Matchups that might have been tactical choices for other teams were, for Dallas, often born out of necessity. Dirk recognises the stake.

The only salvation came in the form of Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, whom the Mavericks selected with the No. 1 overall pick after lottery luck bailed them out. Still, none of that erases the trade. And no amount of Flagg optimism will keep Nico Harrison safe if Davis can’t stay upright, Kyrie doesn’t return to form, or if the Mavericks miss the playoffs again. Preseason tips off October 6 against the Thunder; the regular season follows October 22 versus the Spurs. That’s where Dirk’s words land like a warning shot.

Mark Cuban’s claim could haunt the Mavericks for years

Mark Cuban recently sat down on the All-In Podcast and delivered a bombshell. One that confirms what many suspected, he didn’t want Luka traded. And more importantly, he couldn’t stop it. “Yeah. I f—— up… Yeah, I mean when I did the deal, the presumption was that I would still be running basketball and we tried to put it in the contract. But the NBA said the Governor is the Governor and they make all final decisions.”

“I was involved. And then we went on this run where we went to the Finals and rather than trying to interject myself all the time, I was like, ‘I don’t want to get in the way, we’re rolling.’ And that was a mistake…So there were some things that happened internally, where, you know, the person who traded Luka didn’t want me there. And so they won. I lost. That’s in the past. I’m still hardcore Mavs.”

Cuban sold his 73 percent stake in December 2023 for $3.5 billion to the Adelson group, led by Miriam Adelson, her daughter Sivan Ochshorn, and Patrick Dumont. He kept 27 percent to stay governor-eligible, but the NBA nixed his basketball ops clause. 

The Finals push masked tensions, but Harrison’s trade blindsided Cuban he learned post-facto. Dumont now calls the shots, and Cuban chats analytics with him but admits no tie left with Harrison. Fans seethe over losing Doncic, the five-time All-NBA star who lit up Dallas. The Overwatch billboard flap yanked for proximity to the arena—stings as salt in the wound. Cuban regrets the private sale, not the exit; open bidding might’ve spared the chaos.

This was a power struggle. Nico made his move. Cuban got boxed out. And now, Dirk is watching it unfold, not from the owner’s suite, but from the analyst’s chair. The Adelson family, led by Patrick Dumont, approved the trade. They backed Harrison. And they’re doubling down on Davis and Flagg as the future.

Cuban’s control is gone. So is the player he once said would retire a Maverick. And now, for the first time, so is the silence from the only player who ever mattered more to this city than Luka Doncic. Nico Harrison bet everything on a broken timeline. Now, only health can save him. And time’s ticking.