Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison caught what might be his most brutal stray yet on Wednesday, when ESPN insider Tim MacMahon revealed what another league exec said regarding Harrison's job security.
Fans have been calling for Harrison's head since he traded franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic back in early February, but team owner Patrick Dumont has made no moves to suggest such a measure is on the table. It hasn't helped Harrison's popularity with fans that disaster otherwise befell the Mavs' season immediately following the swap—trade piece Anthony Davis was immediately injured, then Kyrie Irving went down with an ACL tear—but still, Dumont has kept him around.
At most, the owner earlier this week encouraged (read: forced) Harrison to hold his first press conference since the deal, during which the GM met with select reporters without phones or recording devices present. But again, no public moves or suggestions otherwise that Dumont is looking to can the man behind perhaps the biggest trade in NBA history.
And at least one unnamed executive hopes it stays that way ... but for an absolutely savage reason. Speaking on an episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, MacMahon revealed that this exec hopes Harrison keeps his job because it is good to have a "desperate" GM hanging around the league. Brutal.
Here's that full quote:
"And I was talking to an executive today and—listen, everybody asks me about Nico's job security all the time. And all I can say is to this point, Patrick Dumont has given him strong public support. I think this press conference could be considered proof that Patrick Dumont has some significant concerns. Duh."
"... But this executive is saying, 'Man, I hope he makes another transaction cycle. It's always good to have a desperate GM out there.'"
Ouch; that's tough. Harrison is probably used to vitriolic comments and booing from fans at this point, but this remark from another executive is pretty devastating.
You can listen to this comments yourself starting around 27:18:
The good news, however: Dallas nonetheless defeated the Sacramento Kings in the play-in on Wednesday night, meaning their season will continue, against all odds.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Unnamed NBA Exec Has Savage Reason for Hoping Nico Harrison Keeps His Job With Mavs.
