Nico Harrison, Jason Kidd Pinned Jalen Brunson's Free Agency Exit on Mark Cuban as per Latest Mavericks Rumors

Since Nico Harrison was fired, some of the most shocking stories have come out of the Dallas Mavericks. The latest one offered the internal tension in the team after the Mavs lost Jalen Brunson in free agency.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Harrison was not happy with Mark Cuban's decision in 2022. The report also said that Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was also not happy with Cuban's decision.

"Harrison blamed Cuban for what he believed were the Mavs' biggest personnel mistakes during his tenure, which came in summer 2022: allowing Jalen Brunson to get away in free agency and trading for Christian Wood, a player Kidd didn't want to coach and resented having on the roster. Several members of the coaching staff and front office also faulted Cuban for those moves," MacMahon wrote.

The Mavericks' losing Jalen Brunson was a big mistake, especially when the New York Knicks guard was on the verge of having a breakout year. Three years later, Nico Harrison traded Luka Doncic, and it was his biggest mistake.

Nico Harrison isolated Cuban and convinced Patrick Dumont to sign off on Luka Doncic trade

According to new reports, before Nico Harrison pulled the trade, he was able to convince the Mavs owner, Patrick Dumont, that the trade was a great idea.

ESPN reported that after Dumont became the owner of the Mavericks, Harrison began to isolate Mark Cuban, who had not expected things to go in this direction. Over a period of time, Harrison made a direct line of contact with Dumont and barely spoke to Cuban about any matter.

Despite Dumont at times suggesting that Harrison get Cuban's opinion, the former Mavs GM would say he would, but didn't talk to Cuban. With most of the operation under his sole control, MacMahon wrote that Harrison started reporting to Dumont only about things he wanted to, but not what the owner needed to know.

Dumont's trust in Harrison increased after the NBA Finals. After the 4-1 loss in the Finals, the former GM blamed Doncic's poor defense as a big cause for the loss. Six months later, Harrison started convincing Dumont that trading Doncic away was the best option to win a championship.

The report also said that Nico Harrison even convinced Dumont that Doncic's off-court activities would eventually lead to the breakdown of his body. He also convinced the owner that he would build a great defensive team around Anthony Davis because "defense wins championships." Convinced of his GM's vision, Dumont gave the green light to the trade.