The Dallas Mavericks had a rough 2025-26 season. The team finished the regular season with a 26-56 record and did not even qualify for the play-in tournament. For a franchise that just two years ago was in the NBA Finals, that is a painful fall.
Now, on top of all that, the Mavs are still without a full-time general manager. Now, head coach Jason Kidd has touched on that matter.
HC Jason Kidd’s Recent Comment on the Mavericks’ GM Situation
In a recent interview, Kidd was asked about what qualities the next Mavericks GM should have. He was quick to say that this is a decision above his pay grade and that he would not comment much on it. But he did give one hint that the new GM will need to be tough.
“That’s out of my pay grade. That’s for Patrick Dumont & them, but whoever we hire is going to have to be tough & understand what it takes to build because you have a great opportunity to build something special here.”
“The pieces are here…Someone who is tough because this is not an easy place,” Kidd said during the interview.
Jason Kidd on what qualities the Mavs’ future general manager will need:
“That’s out of my pay grade. That’s for Patrick (Dumont) & them, but whoever we hire is going to have to be tough & understand what it takes to build because you have a great opportunity to build something… pic.twitter.com/A7MNWYJtmt
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) April 13, 2026
Honestly, after everything the Mavericks dealt with under former GM Nico Harrison, toughness might be the most important trait needed in the front office right now.
The Nico Harrison Saga in the Dallas Mavericks
Harrison joined the Dallas Mavericks as general manager and president of basketball operations in 2021. He succeeded longtime executive Donnie Nelson. In the beginning, things seemed fine. But over time, some of his decisions looked sketchy to the Mavs fanbase.
The first real sign of trouble came in late 2023, when Harrison fired Casey Smith. Smith had been the team’s head athletic trainer since 2004 and had also served as director of player health and performance since 2019.
That move caused problems between Harrison and Luka Dončić and reportedly damaged his relationship with Dirk Nowitzki. Things even got to the point where the Mavs legend, who had been helping the organization with important decisions, stepped away.
“Harrison’s decision to fire Smith, and the way he did it, also drove Nowitzki away from the franchise that he proudly played for his entire career. Sources said Nowitzki, who describes himself as a ‘Mavs fan’ now, opted to no longer be involved in the inner workings of the franchise’s basketball operations after Smith’s forced exit,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported.
It’s a no-brainer that Nowitzki is one of the most respected figures in Mavericks history. So watching him distance himself from the team obviously did not sit well with the fans. But the worst was still to come.
On February 2, 2025, Harrison sent Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Nobody saw that coming. The reaction from Mavs fans was immediate. “Fire Nico” chants filled the American Airlines Center during live games. Fans even showed up in front of the arena on days when there were no games, to make their feelings known.
The Aftermath of the Luka Dončić Trade, Recovery, and Front Office Actions
After losing Dončić and getting eliminated in the play-in tournament during the 2024-25 season, the Mavs caught a small break. It was when they landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and selected Cooper Flagg.
Given that Dallas had only a 1.8 percent chance of winning the lottery, plenty of fans started spreading conspiracy theories that Harrison had somehow pulled strings to make it happen. Whether that is fair or not, the goodwill from getting Flagg was not enough to save him.
The Mavs had a terrible start to the 2025-26 season, and on November 11, Harrison was ultimately fired. Since then, Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi have been serving as co-interim general managers while the team searches for a permanent replacement.
But that does not mean the front office is settling for just the two of them.
According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, the Mavericks have several well-known, high-profile executives on their radar for the GM position.
“I’m told that Patrick Dumont, the team’s governor, is aiming high. Among the names on Dumont’s wish list, per league sources: Oklahoma City executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti, Minnesota president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, and Boston president Brad Stevens. Cleveland top exec Koby Altman’s name is also in the mix, a source said,” Mannix wrote in his report.
It remains to be seen who the Mavericks will ultimately choose, but one thing is clear: they will need someone who will be able to handle the heat.
