The Dallas Mavericks remain unlikely to name a permanent general manager for several more months, almost six weeks after firing Nico Harrison, according to league sources. Co-interim general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi will remain in place for most or all of this season.
It is viewed as a near-certainty that the interim pairing will lead the front office through the Feb. 5 trade deadline. The Mavericks are comfortable with Finley and Riccardi in charge and will likely wait until spring to conduct a full GM search.
The Mavericks’ front office is expected to field offers on Anthony Davis and other veteran players in the coming weeks. However, as The Athletic reported on Dec. 15, Dallas has signaled a desire to remain competitive around 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg for the rest of this season.
Since the 32-year-old Davis returned from a left calf strain in late November, the Mavericks have posted a 5-2 record with him in the lineup. Dallas has earned quality wins over Denver, Houston and Detroit during that stretch.
Finley and Riccardi are under consideration to fill the permanent job, but league sources told The Athletic that the Mavericks will value previous experience as a lead NBA executive. The decision comes after how poorly the final 10 months of Harrison’s tenure went.
In February, Harrison traded Luka Doncic for what was widely viewed as an underwhelming return of Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first round pick. He then swapped Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick for Caleb Martin, who has fallen out of Dallas’ rotation this season.
In July, the Mavericks signed D’Angelo Russell in free agency with the hopes he could fill a gaping hole at point guard. Jason Kidd was clearly not on board with the idea.
Finley, a 15-year NBA veteran, is now in his 12th season in Dallas’ front office. He was the Mavericks’ assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel before Harrison’s firing.
Riccardi came to Dallas in 2022 from Brooklyn, where he spent 13 years. He was the Mavericks’ assistant general manager for three seasons and served as GM of the Long Island Nets for three years.
In November, The Athletic reported that Detroit Pistons executive Dennis Lindsey could potentially replace Harrison. Lindsey had a successful nine-year run as general manager of the Utah Jazz from 2012 to 2021.