Mavericks Rumors: Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Mark Cuban, Jason Kidd

Patrick Dumont had seen enough.

As ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported, the Mavericks governor made the late-night call Monday to fire general manager Nico Harrison, ending a tenure that had grown toxic inside the organization.

The trust was gone, the tension obvious, and the noise around the team impossible to ignore.

The move comes after months of fan unrest — “Fire Nico” chants have been a regular part of home games since last season’s Luka Doncic trade — and even some Mavericks players admitting they’d rather play on the road, where the atmosphere wasn’t so hostile.

“These people don’t want us to win,” one player said privately, according to ESPN.

Whether the change improves morale remains to be seen. The Mavericks still have one glaring issue: no point guard. Kyrie Irving is recovering from a torn ACL, D’Angelo Russell hasn’t earned Jason Kidd’s trust, and rookie Cooper Flagg is being asked to do things he’s never done before.

“There’s no floor leader,” one Eastern Conference scout told ESPN. “You’re trying to make a guy who isn’t a point guard a point guard. They don’t have shooting, and they don’t have creation. Those are things you need to be a good offensive team.”

Russell, signed with the team’s taxpayer mid-level exception, has shot a career-low 37 percent from the field and 28 percent from deep.

The Mavericks rank near the bottom of the league in 3-pointers made and assists, exposing a roster heavily tilted toward frontcourt depth.

“Remarkable that Nico did not acquire a good guard this summer so they could win some games,” an opposing executive said. “That was such low-hanging fruit.”

Davis on Block?

With the front office in flux, the next question centers on Anthony Davis’ future.

The Athletic’s John Hollinger suggested that trading Davis may be the franchise’s most realistic path forward. Multiple executives agree, telling ESPN that Dallas should at least test the market.

“You have Flagg, but you’re old and you don’t own your picks,” one Western Conference decision-maker said. “They need to be comfortable taking two steps back if that’s the necessary path. Be patient.

“They need to lose this year, but I don’t see Dumont being comfortable with that. It’s not natural for a new owner.”

Cuban’s Influence

Though Mark Cuban sold controlling interest to Dumont and Miriam Adelson last winter, the former Mavericks governor remains involved behind the scenes.

According to The Stein Line’s Marc Stein, Cuban joined Dumont and team president Rick Welts for a meeting on Monday before Harrison’s dismissal became official.

ESPN adds that Cuban has remained in frequent contact with Dumont and is pushing for the team to bring back veteran executive Dennis Lindsey, who once served as a front-office advisor in Dallas and now works for the Pistons.

How receptive Dumont will be to Cuban’s input remains unclear.

Kidd Secure

Dumont is expected to rely heavily on Jason Kidd during the transition, per Stein.

Kidd, who has signed contract extensions in each of the last two offseasons, isn’t viewed as part of the problem and remains safe regardless of the team’s 3-8 start.

Bright Spots

For all the turmoil, there are flickers of promise.

Top pick Cooper Flagg just had his best game as a pro, scoring 26 points with nine rebounds and joining LeBron James as the youngest player in league history to post 25-plus in a game.

Two-way big man Moussa Cisse has also shown encouraging flashes, averaging 7.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks over his last three games while helping stabilize the frontcourt in Davis’ absence.

The Mavericks are bruised, battered, and searching for leadership — but with Dumont’s reset underway, Dallas may finally have taken its first real step toward one.