The Dallas Mavericks’ hiring of Nico Harrison as general manager in 2021 came after a swift courtship by owner Mark Cuban, who made the move despite initially engaging the search firm Sportsology to find Donnie Nelson’s successor.
According to league sources, influential agent Jeff Schwartz, who represents Jason Kidd and later became Harrison’s agent, provided a strong recommendation to Cuban on Harrison’s behalf. The Nike executive had no prior connection to the Mavericks organization before his hiring. Dallas made the somewhat unconventional decision to hire a head coach before a general manager, but that wasn’t considered a major deal at the time due to Cuban’s outsized role in basketball operations.
Harrison’s appeal was bolstered by his extensive league-wide relationships developed during his Nike tenure and the fact that the San Antonio Spurs had previously attempted to hire him three times without success.
Sources told The Stein Line that the opportunity to run a franchise with Luka Doncic as its centerpiece was frequently cited as a key factor in Harrison’s decision to finally leave Nike for an NBA front office position.
The hiring decision has taken on significant new implications following the Mavericks’ unexpected Western Conference Finals appearance in 2024 and Harrison’s subsequent shocking decision to trade Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.