Almost two months now that Luka Doncic moved from the Dallas Mavericks, but there seems to be no end to the heat against Nico Harrison. Surprisingly, though, not everyone in the NBA community wants to place the blame on the Mavs’ General Manager. In fact, Dwyane Wade once, in an episode of his podcast, stated he sees Pat Riley-like bold decision-making capability in Nico from his Luka Doncic trade decision. And now, yet another former NBA star is raising his voice in support of Nico. Even surprisingly, he has revealed the true power behind the trade of the Slovenian basketball star.

Now, it’s not as if Nico Harrison has not made appeals in his defense. To address the decision, the Mavericks’ GM had spoken about the team’s long-term vision, emphasizing why they believe Anthony Davis was the right fit. He stated his belief that in the long-term timeframe, Anthony Davis would make a perfect fit for the Mavs. “The future to me is three, four years from now. The future, 10 years from now, I don’t know… They’ll probably bury me and (Kidd) by then. Or we’ll bury ourselves,” he explained. Amid all the explanation and in their anger on Harrison, what fans seemed to forget was to consider who else could have been involved in the bold decision. However, former NBA star Gary Payton is in no mood to leave any stone unturned.

The defense from Payton came on the recent episode of Nightcap, during a conversation with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. “… Nico, my guy… He’s a president. He doesn’t own that team… Where you give up Luka, you gotta have permission to give up Luka… Don’t put that on Nico… That owner, she had to say, yeah, let’s do it,” Payton said, highlighting that the decision could not have come without the involvement of Dallas Mavericks majority owner Miriam Adelson who has a net worth of $34 billion, as per Celebrity Net Worth.

Yes, Harrison has been the architect of sorts of what the Mavericks look like today. This does not only include just trading away Luka Doncic, but also his acting swiftly on Kyrie Irving’s trade request from the Brooklyn Nets and getting him to Dallas. But what fans often seem to forget is that none of it gets approved without a nod from the franchise ownership. So, Harrison getting all the hate to the extent of fans chanting “ban Nico” might seem somewhat unfair from Gary Payton’s perspective.

Nico Harrison’s firing, as per fan demand, could mean further trouble for the Mavs

No one could have predicted that the Mavericks would find themselves in such a turbulent spot at this stage of the season. Heading into the year, the team was widely seen as a serious threat in the Western Conference. That was before the Luka Doncic trade turned things upside down, shifting expectations into confusion almost overnight.

The Mavericks fanbase was understandably attached to Luka, seeing him as their franchise cornerstone for years to come. The anger stems from a feeling of betrayal and a disbelief that a player of his caliber was traded, especially for Anthony Davis, whose fit and durability are major question marks in their eyes. They envisioned a future built around Luka, and this trade shattered those hopes overnight.

In the midst of the chaos, a large section of the fan base has been demanding Nico Harrison’s dismissal. And it’s not just emotional noise—there’s a financial ripple that’s hard to ignore. From dwindling ticket sales to lower merchandise revenue, the criticism has started affecting the franchise’s bottom line. Fans believe letting go of Harrison might be a necessary reset button.

Firing him would be the simplest way to show the crowd that change is happening. But there’s a complication—Davis is on the roster, and that makes things far less straightforward for Dumont. Harrison had been eyeing Davis for years, and if the Mavs were to fire Harrison right now, this could cause Davis to become disgruntled and force a trade out of Dallas. And thus, the whole point of trading Luka Doncic would be moot. The blame of which should not have been completely on him in the first place, as per  Gary Payton, at least.

This situation underscores the immense pressure on NBA front offices to balance long-term vision with immediate fan expectations. It highlights the power of ownership in major decisions and the potential consequences when those decisions alienate a passionate fanbase.