Ranking Nico Harrison's 10 worst moves as Dallas Mavericks GM

03/26/2025 05:21 PM

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has been under fire as of late, especially after making a controversial move at this year’s trade deadline. In the eyes of many Mavs fans, this has got to be one of the worst moves ever committed by a general manager. Here is a look at Nico Harrison’s 10 worst moves as Dallas Mavericks GM, ranked.

Check out the gallery.

1. Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap

At this year’s trade deadline, the headline that took the NBA world by storm was the deal that saw Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic swap jerseys in a blockbuster trade involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Mavericks, and Utah Jazz. It was a head-scratcher for Harrison to send away a 25-year-old generational talent like Doncic, especially so for an injury-riddled and much older Davis. The deal has already backfired as in Davis’ Dallas debut when he suffered a groin injury that sidelined him for 18 games.

2. Allowing Jalen Brunson to leave as a free agent

The Dallas Mavericks drafted Jalen Brunson in the second of the 2018 NBA Draft. It wasn’t long before they found out that he was a hidden gem, as he worked his way to becoming a reliable sixth man. In fact, he even helped the Mavs make it all the way to the 2022 Western Conference Finals, averaging 16.3 points per game during the 2021-22 season.

With his deal nearing expiration at that time, Brunson originally wanted to stay in Dallas, if the team offered him a reasonable deal. However, Harrison and the front office believed he wasn’t worth much more than they offered. As a result, the 6-foot-2 guard took advantage of the New York Knicks’ four-year contract offer for $104 million.

There, Brunson blossomed into a superstar for New York. Brunson ran the backcourt with Doncic really well during their days together, leaving Mavs fans to question the possibilities had they retained the former.

3. Trading away Kristaps Porzingis for an underwhelming haul

Kristaps Porzingis’ stint with the Mavs was underwhelming primarily due to his lack of availability. Porzingis and Doncic carried heavy expectations to make a run for a championship but fell short during the postseason multiple times. This was enough to convince Harrison to trade away the Latvian big man.

While trading him made sense, it was the haul that the Mavs received for KP that was a head scratcher. For KP, Dallas got Davis Bertans and Spencer Dinwiddie. The latter was relatively okay while the former gave the team a huge headache on how to get out of Bertans’ deal. Nonetheless, none of these players were worth Porzingis’ value, just after he solidified himself as an All-Star-caliber second option when healthy.

4. Trading Quentin Grimes for Caleb Martin

Aside from the Doncic-AD swap, it looks like Harrison made another blemish as a GM during the same trade deadline. Harrison also decided to push for a win-now situation by sending away a much younger Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick for Caleb Martin. Since then, Martin has averaged a measly 4.6 points per game while only shooting 39% from the field overall and 16.7% from beyond the arc. On the other hand, Grimes recently exploded for 46 points in a Sixers uniform.

5. Trading for Grant Williams

After making a name for himself with the Boston Celtics, including becoming the starting center for the NBA Finals team in 2022, the Mavs decided to make a move for Grant Williams to bolster their front court. They participated in a three-team deal, giving up Reggie Bullock to go along with a couple of draft picks.

Unfortunately, Dallas would instantly regret that move, as the 6-foot-6 power forward’s personality reportedly didn’t mesh well with the team’s locker room. To salvage his value, Harrison used him as a trade asset to acquire P.J. Washington.

6. Not retaining the services of Derrick Jones Jr.

Signing Derrick Jones Jr. was an underrated offseason move for the Mavericks in 2023. His size and athleticism came in handy for Dallas. In fact, his tenure with the Mavs proved that he was more than just a dunker, helping the team secure a Finals berth for the first time since 2011.

After his deal expired, the Mavs had a chance to re-sign him with Harrison saying that retaining him was a priority. But surprisingly, the Mavs GM let Jones sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and secured the services of Naji Marshall.

7. The acquisition of Christian Wood

After parting ways with Porzingis and losing Brunson to free agency, the Mavs needed to find another star to pair with Luka. As a result, they swung for Christian Wood, who was coming off a productive stint with the Houston Rockets. In the process, the Mavs surrendered Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss and Wendall Moore Jr.

Although Wood’s offensive versatility was a positive impact, his effort on the defensive end was unsatisfactory. Moreover, he wasn’t willing to accept a reduced role off the bench, forcing the team to move on from Wood.

8. Getting Facundo Campazzo

Losing Brunson was a tough blow to their backcourt rotation. As a result, Harrison and the front office looked for a suitable replacement. They opted to sign Argentinian guard Facundo Campazzo. It’s worth noting that Campazzo also used to play with Doncic in Europe. He was also coming off a respectable stint with the Denver Nuggets. Unfortunately, Campazzo turned out to be unplayable. He was terribly undersized at 5-foot-11. Moreover, his offense wasn’t as polished as his predecessor.

9. Giving Kemba Walker his final NBA chance

With the Campazzo experiment falling apart, the team decided to go with Kemba Walker. At his peak, Walker was a four-time NBA All-Star before declining with the New York Knicks. Undersized at 6-foot-0 and a step slower, Walker was nearing the end of his NBA career. Nonetheless, Dallas inked him to a one-year contract on a nonguaranteed deal.

With the Mavs, Walker was a shell of his old self with exception to his 32-point explosion against the Cleveland Cavaliers. His presence also ate up minutes of Mavs young guard, Jaden Hardy. As a result, it only took nine games before they parted ways with the four-time All-Star.

10. Signing an aging JaVale McGee to a long-term contract

JaVale McGee, when in his prime, would’ve been a solid lob threat next to Luka. He also won an NBA championship in 2020 with the Lakers, convincing Harrison that he was a must-have asset. As a result, the team threw him a three-year contract worth $17.2 million. It only took 42 games for them to realize that McGee was far from his best days.

The post Ranking Nico Harrison’s 10 worst moves as Dallas Mavericks GM appeared first on ClutchPoints.