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Mavericks GM Nico Harrison had to know there was going to be plenty of backlash when he pulled the trigger on the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers. Fans have not been shy about voicing their displeasure with the man responsible—including one man who was treated to an early exit from Tuesday’s game after calling for him to be fired.
Luka Doncic had been the face of the franchise for the Dallas Mavericks ever since Dirk Nowitzki retired in the wake of the lone season they played together, and it seemed pretty safe to assume that would be the case for the foreseeable future as he continued to cement his status as their most important player in the midst of his seventh season with the team he joined in 2018.
However, as every NBA fan knows by now, things took a shocking turn at the start of February when Doncic was shipped out to the Lakers in a trade involving Anthony Davis —a stunning development that led to a slew of members of the Mavericks faithful flocking to the American Airlines Center in Dallas to protest the decision.
Minority owner Mark Cuban made it clear he was just as shocked as most people while asserting he had nothing to do with the move. It seems safe to assume majority owners Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont gave the transaction their blessing, but GM Nico Harrison has understandably shouldered the bulk of the blame for orchestrating the trade.
On Monday, the Mavericks played their second home game since Doncic’s departure, and one fan decided to hijack a Jumbotron karaoke segment to mouth the words “Fire Nico” when he was supposed to be singing the lyrics to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.”
“Fire Nico.” *immediately zooms out* pic.twitter.com/nGNCV9ffNn
— MFFL (@Mavs_FFL) February 11, 2025
The same guy and an accomplice were also spotted holding up neon green signs spelling out the same message, and they were subsequently approached by multiple security guards who escorted them out of the building.
Kicking people out for holding up a “Fire Nico” sign. Have some shame @dallasmavs @NicoHarrisonGM @GrantAfseth pic.twitter.com/fVCY4BjAz1
— #1 Nico Harrison Hater (@himothyfan11) February 11, 2025
According to ESPN, the team released a statement attempting to justify that decision, saying:
“The guest brought in a sign that broke the following rule included in the NBA Code of Conduct: Clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization towards any person(s).”
That is some weeeeeeeeeeak stuff.