It was already bad, but now it’s so much worse. The Dallas Mavericks suffered a 130-125 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on March 16, marking their fourth straight defeat. But it wasn’t just any loss—this one came at the hands of Quentin Grimes, the very player Nico Harrison gave away just last month.
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Grimes torched the Mavericks for 28 points, leading all scorers and making his former team look foolish for letting him go. And after watching yet another ex-Mav thrive elsewhere, fans finally snapped—turning their frustration toward General Manager Nico Harrison in full force.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. When the Mavericks traded Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick to the Sixers for Caleb Martin on February 4, the move barely made headlines. Grimes was solid, but not a game-changer—at least, that’s what Dallas thought.
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QUENTIN GRIMES REVENGE GAME 👀
Grimes has averaged 19.9 PPG since being traded from Dallas 📈 pic.twitter.com/Ocqu1V7dIG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 16, 2025
Fast forward to now, and Grimes has completely leveled up. Since joining Philly, he’s been averaging nearly 17 points per game, including a career-high 44-point explosion against the Warriors. Meanwhile, the Mavs have continued their free fall, and Caleb Martin hasn’t done much to change their fortunes.
So when Grimes walked into the American Airlines Center and torched his old team, it was the final straw for an already exhausted fanbase. The arena erupted in boos, not at Grimes, but at the Mavs front office. The anger, which had been brewing since Luka Doncic was shipped to the Lakers, hit a new level.
Mavs fans have had enough of Nico
At this point, every loss feels personal. First, Luka drops a triple-double against them in his Lakers debut. Now, Grimes makes them regret another move. Everyone the Mavericks have traded away is coming back with a vengeance, and fans are completely fed up.
The chants inside the arena? “Fire Nico!”
The frustration online? Even louder. “Nico and the front office of the @dallasmavs still don’t know what the eff they are doing. #FireNico” Honestly? It’s hard to argue. The Luka trade was already a disaster, but the way the front office mishandled everything afterward made it even worse. PR experts have called the entire situation a “self-inflicted wound”, and the backlash hasn’t let up. Fans have been protesting outside the American Airlines Center for weeks, with some even holding mock funerals for Luka in front of Dirk Nowitzki’s statue. And when people brought anti-Harrison signs into a recent game against the Kings? Security reportedly kicked them out—which only made things worse.
“Everyone is getting their revenge on the Mavs.” If you’re a former Maverick, beating Dallas is personal now. Luka already embarrassed them in his first game back, leading the Lakers to a 107-99 win while dropping a triple-double. And now Grimes just had his best game in a Sixers jersey against them. It’s becoming a brutal trend.
“Nico is building a resume to go down as one of the worst GMs of all time.” Harsh? Maybe. But not that far off. NBA history is full of GMs who made moves that haunted their franchises. Billy King traded the Nets’ future for washed-up stars. David Kahn passed on Stephen Curry twice. Now, Mavs fans fear Harrison is heading straight for that same level of infamy.
“Nico keeps catching Ls on Ls. Almost feel bad for him.” Almost. But then you look at the standings. Last season? Mavs went 50-32, won their division, and were a top-5 team in the West. This season? They’re 33-36, barely clinging to the 10th seed, and falling apart fast.
Imago
Feb 10, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison walks off the court before the game between the Dallas and the Sacramento Kings at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Injuries to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis have made things even worse, and if this keeps up, they might not even have enough healthy players to meet NBA roster requirements. Their loss to the Sixers? That made it eight defeats in nine games.
Nico Harrison’s tenure started with hope and excitement. Now? It’s one disaster after another—and Mavs fans have officially had enough.
Written by
Edited by
Cherry Sharma