The Dallas Mavericks didn’t have the best follow-up to their return to the NBA Finals. After they lost to the Boston Celtics last year, the decisions by the front office ruined their chance to run it back with the same group. Many believe the Mavericks were one player away from winning the title, which is why they acquired Klay Thompson over the summer.
However, things changed when Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Additionally, All-Star guard Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury. After the blockbuster events, the Mavericks found themselves in the Play-In Tournament.
Most fans and experts blame general manager Nico Harrison for how the 2024-25 NBA season has turned out. Fans have aired their frustration, calling for the firing of Harrison from his current position. However, the management trusts in him and has not given any indication of its intention to fire him.
However, NBA insider Grant Afseth reported on Thursday that the Mavericks’ assistant general manager, Matt Riccardi, could replace Harrison if he gets fired.
“If the Mavericks decide to move on from Harrison, a logical replacement option already exists within the organization’s basketball operations structure: assistant general manager Matt Riccardi,” Afseth reported.
“Riccardi has been a consistent presence within the Mavericks’ fron office, frequently involved in day-to-day logistics, and regularly seen on the court pregame, interacting with players and executives. He has developed a strong rapport with players, most notably Kyrie Irving, with whom he has worked in Brooklyn and Dallas.”
Harrison continues to be trusted by the franchise’s ownership group, which consists of Patrick Dumont and Miriam Adelson, to run the front office.
Adam Silver defends the Dallas Mavericks’ owners and general manager while empathizing with the fans
The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the most-talked-about teams in the past months because of the trade they made. Now that the season is over, league commissioner Adam Silver got a chance to address the events surrounding the Mavericks franchise.
First, Silver said only time will tell if the trade the Mavericks made was the right move. He also mentioned Dumont and said he believes the ownership group executed the trade for pure basketball reasons. The 62-year-old executive also said he knows Harrison and believes the general manager is doing his best to run the organization.
Following that, Silver empathized with the Dallas Mavericks fans, who were hurt with the trade.
“It’s been a rough time since they made the trade. There’s no question about it,” Silver said. “I understand why Dallas Mavericks fans are so upset. I personally am a fan of Luka Doncic… I want him to be great. I want the Dallas Mavericks to be great… We’ll see when they play the games how this works out.”
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
