After a busy offseason aimed at reshaping the roster, the Dallas Mavericks once again find themselves falling short of lofty preseason expectations. Once touted as title contenders after landing prized rookie Cooper Flagg, Nico Harrison’s emphasis on defense and roster versatility hasn’t panned out as envisioned. Now, frustration is starting to creep into the Mavericks’ front office as the team struggles to find consistency with a 2-7 record.

The decision to trade Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis marked a major turning point for Dallas and one that quickly divided the fanbase. What initially looked like a fresh start after drafting Cooper Flagg, nothing has improved as they are on a four-game loss. Tim MacMahon reports that Nico Harrison’s job security is becoming increasingly uncertain.

“I don’t have a firm answer for you right now. That’s as much as I can tell you. But it is absolutely a legitimate question. When you talk to people about the Mavericks around the league, it is the first question that people are asking,” MacMahon said, according to Basketball GM, but that’s not all.

Even Mavericks insider Bobby Karalla noted he’s been flooded with messages claiming owner Patrick Dumont “is going to be left with no choice” if the team’s struggles persist. The frustration has reached the stands, too, with chants of “Fire Nico” echoing through the American Airlines Center as fans grow impatient with the team’s lack of progress.

Even DLLS Mavs’ Bobby Karalla mentioned receiving heaps of texts suggesting owner Patrick Dumont “is going to be left with no choice” if the Mavericks continue to lose games. It’s something for the many Mavericks fans shouting “Fire Nico” during their games at the American Airlines Center.

Well, it looks like that could happen. The reason for it could very well stem from trading Doncic. The Slovenian has gone through a massive physical transformation and is currently averaging 40 points per game. He didn’t want to leave Dallas in this lifetime, but Nico Harrison took the huge call. It has evidently backfired. But there’s a lot more that has led to the Mavericks’ appalling start.

The Dallas Mavericks aren’t playing great basketball

Even without Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks have a fabulous roster. Not many teams have starting forwards of the caliber of Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg. Furthermore, they have great depth with Max Christie, Naji Marshall, and Dereck Lively as options. However, they haven’t utilized their infrastructure well.

Since the first game, Flagg was put into the role of a point guard. That heavily halted the offense and made it static. Imagine, with the star rookie on the floor, the Mavs have an offensive rating of just 103.2, worst in the league so far. This was done even after they signed D’Angelo Russell to have a floor general in Irving’s absence.

Since then, they have brought a change, allowing Cooper Flagg to drift into his natural position. But the injury crisis is something Nico Harrison can’t solve. Anthony Davis is suffering from a calf ailment, and Lively is also out for the next week. It’s added to the chaotic start for the team, which has a lot of negative eyes on it.

That has led to the Mavericks generating just 106 points per game. Their assist/turnover ratio also stands at 1.43, the second-worst mark in the entire league. Right now, Jason Kidd’s experiment has prevented the Mavericks from having any continuity in their system. In fact, it’s the system that is lacking.

There is no identity for a team with a pool of talented players. Some of them have also failed to live up to the expectations. Flagg hasn’t yet caught up to the NBA’s high-paced culture. Klay Thompson is also going through a drastic shooting slump, making a career-low 26.4% of his threes.

Likewise, the only reason Nico Harrison has become the focus is because the concerns around Luka Doncic are starting to diminish. Having gotten into shape, the former Mavericks cornerstone has led the Lakers to a hot start without LeBron James playing a single game. It’s still puzzling as to how the Mavericks decided to trade the monarch who guided them to the NBA Finals a season ago. But the ramifications of that decision are starting to show. And they aren’t great for the Mavericks.