Nico Harrison will forever be remembered for the Luka Dončić trade, but he also made another major blunder during his time as the Mavericks GM. In 2022, Harrison and Dallas let Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, which led the point guard to sign a four-year deal with the New York Knicks.
Mavericks fans despise Harrison, but Knicks and Lakers fans love him. Without him, those two organizations wouldn't have their two main stars.
Dallas had two different opportunities to re-sign Brunson, contrary to Mark Cuban's assertion that Brunson didn't give the Mavericks that option. The guard was willing and ready to sign a four-year, $55 million extension, but that changed after the 2022 trade deadline, when Dallas approached him about re-signing. It was too little, too late. Brunson knew his value was more than that.
He signed a contract worth $104 million with the Knicks, which many people considered an overpay, but it was actually a steal (as is his extension he signed in 2024). Brunson turned into a star in New York, making the All-NBA second team twice and two All-Star teams, including becoming an All-Star starter for the first time in 2025. He's the star point guard that the Knicks spent years wishing for.
Nico Harrison and Mavs let Jalen Brunson walk to the Knicks in 2022
Dallas walked away from the 2018 draft with Brunson and Dončić. As if it wasn't bad enough that they let Brunson slip through their fingers, all they got in return for Dončić was Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick: no Austin Reaves or LA's other tradable first-round pick.
You can understand why that trade alone led to the Mavericks firing Harrison a few weeks into the 2025-26 regular season. Dončić is in the best shape of his career with the Lakers, while Davis has played in a combined 14 games for Dallas. Not to mention, Luka turned 26 in February, and AD is 32.
The Mavericks are 3-8 on the season, while the Lakers, who have dealt with their own injuries, are 8-3. The Knicks are 6-3 and are a few months removed from their first conference finals appearance in over two decades. You know who was a big part of getting them there? Brunson.
Dallas fans hoped that it couldn't get worse than letting Brunson go, and it helped that the Mavericks landed Kyrie Irving via trade in 2023. What didn't help was trading their generational superstar less than a year after they made an NBA Finals run.
You can't come back from that.