Nico Harrison is making headlines after an old story has resurfaced. The Mavericks GM’s treatment of a former employee is now being scrutinized by fans and NBA experts alike. However, Harrison doesn’t seem bothered by fans bringing up the old story. The current focus is on the frustration over the team following Luka Doncic’s trade and the health crisis. Speaking of Doncic’s trade, the GM still stands by his opinion that defense wins championships. However, he admitted being shocked by the massive outrage over Doncic’s departure. Agent Zero heard something else. 

As Doncic arrived at the American Airlines Center for the first time after his trade, the Mavericks paid homage to the basketball star with a special video featuring all the highlights of his seven years with the franchise. As fans loudly chanted his name, the Slovenian star got teary-eyed, once again stirring fans’ hearts. Speaking of the bond, Harrison said that he didn’t know how crucial the player was to the fandom.

“I did know that Luka was important to the fan base. I didn’t quite know it to what level,” he said. Taking a shot at the situation, former Warriors player Gilbert Arenas shared his thoughts. “He can’t shut the f–- up. M———– had a earpiece in. That’s a robot dawg. He was crying his eyes out the whole time,” Arenas said.

Nick Young added that Harrison is in a “sunken place,” which is a hilarious reference to Jordan Peele’s movie Get Out, where the phrase is used to show that the character Chris Washington was in a powerless situation. The movie made around $255 million worldwide. Sounds similar? Who would’ve thought it could be used much later for Harrison’s situation? 

Earlier on his podcast, the former NBA player Arenas claimed that it wasn’t Harrison’s decision to trade Doncic, because he still has his job with the franchise. “The fact that Nico still has his job lets you know that it didn’t had nothing to do with Nico … You can’t really throw dirt on his name. Obviously,” Arenas said on his podcast. “He’s just the middleman here,” he said. While there’s no way to prove, more and more stories of Harrison are surfacing. 

Did Nico Harrison fire an ex-Mavericks employee? 

Stories are flying high on the recently surfaced story. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon shared some shocking details about the inner workings of the franchise. The controversy surrounds how Harrison fired the former Mavericks director of health and performance, Casey Smith in 2023. He had been working with the franchise as a health trainer since 2004.

Smith was reportedly back in his hometown tending to his ill mother at the time when Harrison fired the ex-employee over Zoom. The former health trainer was seemingly close to both Doncic and former  Dallas Mavericks player Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki was reportedly not fond of Smith’s departure. He had earlier opened up about his opinion on the “Campus 41” podcast. 

“Over the past year, you could already see the team heading in a different direction. Now we’re seeing the result of that,” Nowitzki said. While the incident involving Smith is in the past, the latest trade sending Doncic to the Lakers is still making noise.

The Luka Doncic trade has thrust Mavericks GM Nico Harrison into a harsh spotlight, amplified by resurfaced controversies and vocal criticism. As Dallas navigates a Doncic-less future, Harrison faces the daunting task of justifying his decisions to a skeptical fan base. His ability to rebuild trust will be as crucial as any on-court victory in defining his legacy with the franchise.