Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban lost the struggle for basketball operations control to former team GM Nico Harrison, according to an ESPN report in November 2025. NBA insider Tim MacMahon wrote that Harrison steadily and successfully alienated Cuban from crucial basketball decisions.
On “The Adam Friedland Show” on Wednesday, Cuban responded when asked if he had any regrets in hiring Harrison:
“Yeah, in hindsight now, it was a mistake.”
In June 2021, Mark Cuban made Nico Harrison the Mavericks’ president of basketball operations and general manager. However, when the billionaire sold the majority ownership of the franchise in 2023, he announced to the media and players that he would still control basketball operations.
According to MacMahon, Patrick Dumont, the new governor, corrected the statement, saying that he would consult Cuban, but the decisions would be his. The NBA insider added that Dumont’s clarification gave Harrison leverage.
With savvy moves that helped the Dallas Mavericks reach the 2024 NBA Finals, Dumont learned to trust no one but Harrison. The then-GM was firmly in while Cuban was out of the picture.
MacMahon wrote:
“Mark Cuban blamed Harrison, not Dumont, for his basketball exile. … Harrison was adamant in talks with Dumont that the basketball operations department would function much better without Cuban’s constant interference, sources said.”
With Harrison having Patrick Dumont’s ears, the former Nike executive convinced Dumont that giving Luka Doncic a massive supermax contract extension would be a mistake. MacMahon wrote that Harrison sold the idea to Dumont that Doncic’s alleged lack of commitment, fitness issues and poor defense were major reasons the Slovenian had to be traded.
MacMahon continued that Harrison convinced Dumont to keep the trade discussions among themselves. Mark Cuban has said in multiple interviews that he would have been against the trade had he been informed about Harrison’s plan. Cuban also noted that he would have demanded more had he been forced by Dumont to send Doncic to the Lakers.
Nico Harrison got what he wanted, but he also made a move that eventually cost him his job. Patrick Dumont fired the former GM in mid-November to correct the mistake of perhaps the most controversial trade in NBA history.
Currently, Mark Cuban is back as an advisor with more influence on basketball decisions. The former “Shark Tank” panelist rued how his decision to hire Harrison significantly impacted him and the team.
Fans React To Mark Cuban Calling the Nico Harrison Hiring “Mistake”
Mark Cuban’s response when asked about Nico Harrison’s hiring in 2021 quickly gained social media traction, prompting fan reactions. One fan wrote:
“Just now realizing that, huh?”
Another fan added:
“Lol, thanks for the earth-shattering realization Cubes…”
One more fan continued:
“He was terrible even before the Luka trade.”
Another fan commented:
“Hiring Nico, selling the team to casino snakes. They have destroyed your legacy and our beloved team.”
A fan tweeted:
“To put it mildly.”
The Mavericks have a chance to correct multiple mistakes now that they are embracing a rebuild. Without Nico Harison and Mark Cuban having more say in basketball operations, it remains to be seen if the team can eventually become championship contenders again.
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