The Dallas Mavericks did what the fans wanted when they fired Nico Harrison as President of Basketball Operations. After trading Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers and witnessing the team’s obvious struggles this season, the elephant in the room had become the franchise’s apparent inability to ignore it.
Now that he’s gone, all that matters is knowing what’s next for the Mavericks. Following his firing, PJ Washington has one request for the fanbase.
What Did PJ Washington Ask the Mavericks’ Fanbase to Do?
Mavericks fans were chanting “Fire Nico!” during their tight loss against the Milwaukee Bucks. After that game, head coach Jason Kidd told reporters that players felt like the chants were “disrespectful” to them.
Washington confirmed this and hopes that, now that the Mavericks have moved on from Harrison, fans will focus more on the team the front office has put together than on the front office itself.
“I felt the same way,” Harrison told reporters, per The Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend. “I felt like people weren’t really cheering us on, it felt like from a player standpoint. So hopefully that changes.”
PJ Washington, when told about Jason Kidd’s “disrespect” quote about fans chanting during free-throws. It happened in the final 1.2 seconds vs. Milwaukee with Washington on the line.
“I felt the same way. I felt like people weren’t really cheering us on, it felt like from a…
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) November 13, 2025
Harrison may never live down the Dončić trade, but it overshadows the fact that he made several smart moves that built the Mavericks into a contender. That included acquiring Washington from the Charlotte Hornets in 2024.
While having Dončić definitely helped, Harrison built an excellent Mavericks team around him, which led to a surprise NBA Finals run only a year and a half ago. However, besides the infamous Dončić trade, Harrison also let Jalen Brunson go to the New York Knicks when he could have ensured he and Dončić ruled the West for a decade.
With him gone, the Mavericks aren’t completely helpless per se, as Cooper Flagg is a talented prospect worth building around. However, they don’t have many draft assets, and now they may have to trade Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving if things continue to go sour for them.
If it goes that way, Washington might be on a new team as well if the Mavericks shift their focus to a rebuild. Props to Dallas for ripping off the band-aid before losing the fanbase, but unfortunately for them, they may have a few more to rip off before the season’s over.
