One Year Later: Mavs Fans Thankful for 'Granted Wish' of Nico Harrison Firing

One year ago today, on the fateful date 11/11, Dallas Mavericks fans got their wish ...

General manager Nico Harrison was fired, capping a turbulent stretch following his decision to trade superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in the dead of night on Feb. 1, 2025 - still, and obviously, believed to be the most shocking transaction in sports history.

For months, subsequent Mavs games saw public condemnations of boos, jeers, and the now infamous "Fire Nico" chant that became a cultural movement as much as it was a bannable offense when inside the American Airlines Center.

The chant was never louder than on Nov. 10 last year, when Dallas collapsed late to lose to the Milwaukee Bucks at home and drop to 3-8. It prompted team governor Patrick Dumont to summon Harrison to his final meeting with the organization the next morning.

It was the obvious thing to do, even if it came nearly nine months too late.

Even lucking into drafting Cooper Flagg, a generationally-renowned prospect, first overall in the next draft couldn't save Harrison's inevitable fate. It merely delayed what everyone knew would and needed to happen one day.

One day. ... exactly one year ago.

All the while, the Most Hated Man in Dallas Sports clung to his "vision" of a championship team built through defense - paired with a direct smear campaign against Doncic - as some justification for trading the perennial All-NBA First Teamer not even half a season removed from an NBA Finals berth.

Not much around him went in Harrison's favor, either. Kyrie Irving had torn his ACL a month after Doncic's trade. The centerpiece of the deal, Anthony Davis, was unsurprisingly absent with injury more than he was available. That led to his trade at the deadline after Harrison's ouster.

But alas, what was done was finally, thankfully done.

And a great deal has been done since then, too. Enough to just now see signs of an organization reclaiming its image (and to think, the Mavericks used to be known as "the model franchise" after its inception. For sure, a lofty reputation to reset toward).

Starting at the top, Dumont bought out his casino magnate mother-in-law to take full operational ownership of the franchise, which he steers into a new era that will feature the construction of a new arena.

Dumont hired championship-winning executive Masai Ujiri to preside over basketball operations and serve as alternate governor. Ujiri cleaned ship by parting ways with head coach Jason Kidd and offloading many of the staffers brought on by Harrison. His first hire was Mike Schmitz, a rising voice in the next generation of NBA front offices, to become general manager.

The new regime then landed on Dusty May to coach the team just weeks after he won a national championship with Michigan. The next day, Dallas used its No. 9 overall draft pick to select ex-Wolverine Morez Johnson Jr.

And on the court, of course, Flagg has delivered, doing nearly as much as anyone to restore optimism for a fanbase that now watches Doncic build another MVP-caliber campaign from afar this season.

Flagg is trending toward All-NBA status with still a month of teen life to go. Irving has returned from injury, is already playing in back-to-backs, and brings supreme wisdom and leadership while averaging over 20 points per game.

Best of all for Mavs fans, there is a refreshing energy emanating from the executive suite.

Dumont, no doubt shaken by last year's PR hit he somehow could not forecast, has deepened his investment and vowed his commitment to the city. And Ujiri hasn't needed private press conferences to explain his personnel decisions, instead choosing to work silently and efficiently during an offseason that included several trades that have helped the team more often than not thus far.

There are still challenging hurdles to face. Dallas doesn't have control of a first-round draft pick until the start of next decade. Dereck Lively II, a young building block of the Flagg era, is no longer the nimble rookie he was before a string of lower-body injuries. Irving, 34, still does not align with the youth rostered around him.

Still, fans would've taken what they got a year ago over anything else.