DHJ Quick Take
- Elite Target List: Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont is reportedly “aiming high” to find a successor for Nico Harrison, focusing on a “wish list” of premier NBA executives: Sam Presti (Thunder), Brad Stevens (Celtics), Tim Connelly (Timberwolves) and Koby Altman (Cavaliers).
- Search for Stability: Following the fallout from the controversial Luka Dončić trade to the Lakers and the subsequent firing of Harrison in November 2025, the Mavericks are seeking a “heavyweight” leader to guide the franchise into the Cooper Flagg era.
- Realism Must Set In: Dumont’s wish list is too grand.
The Dallas Mavericks need a new general manager after firing Nico Harrison and governor Patrick Dumont has a strong wish list.
According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Dumont has Sam Presti of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tim Connelly of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics and Koby Altman of the Cleveland Cavaliers on his exec wish list.
“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,” Mannix wrote. “Cleveland top exec Koby Altman’s name is also in the mix, a source said.”
Dallas fired Harrison, who traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers last season, in November after starting the season off miserably. Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi are the co-interim general managers at the moment.
The Mavericks will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive year this season. However, they should be better next season since Kyrie Irving will be in the lineup next to Cooper Flagg and Dallas will have one of the top picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Dumont, though, has to be smarter than this. He’s not getting Presti, Connelly or Stevens, as all three guys are running NBA contenders. Maybe the Cavaliers and Altman part ways this offseason if Cleveland flops in the playoffs again, but that’s a huge stretch as well.
It will be fascinating to see who the Mavericks hire as their new general manager this offseason. Hopefully, the new guy doesn’t pull a Harrison and trade Flagg one day. Harrison will never be accepted in Dallas ever again after trading Dončić to the Lakers. It’s considered the worst trade in NBA history.
Will Dumont consult Mark Cuban while looking for a new general manager this summer? He probably should. Dumont and Harrison didn’t tell Cuban about the Dončić trade last season because Cuban sold his majority stake in the Mavericks to Dumont and Miriam Adelson.
We all saw how the Dončić trade didn’t work out for Dallas. Dumont should use Cuban as a resource this time in his search for an intelligent general manager who will not burn the franchise down in the future.
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