Mavericks reportedly looking to pair Nico Harrison with 'experienced' exec

Despite months of "Fire Nico" chants from Dallas Mavericks fans, it appears that the embattled general manager will be keeping his job.

However, he won't have the level of unilateral control he had previously.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon went on The Right Time with Bomani Jones to discuss Harrison's future, and noted that while fans and other execs think he's as good as gone, Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont isn't there yet.

"I was talking to somebody who's in an ownership group of another Western Conference team recently, and they basically said, 'I hate to say it, but this is going to be his legacy. This trade's his legacy. Like he's never going to work in the NBA again," says MacMahon. "And there are people around the league who are just like 'You have to fire him. That's the only way to begin the healing process with the Mavericks' fan base,'"

"But Patrick Dumont is not there. He's not there yet. Now, the 'In Nico We Trust' era has ended. He wants him to bring in an experienced exec. I think he's realized he's got to have some checks and balances that weren't in place."

While the idea that Harrison won't have unilateral decision-making power any more should be a small comfort to Mavs fans, the fact that he'll still have any power in the organization is likely to ensure they stay less than thrilled with the team.

But Dumont seems to be committed to behaving like the trade wasn't a mistake, and to making sure Harrison stays part of the organization. It's unclear how much power this new exec would actually have, or if this would be a hollow move made solely to try and placate fans while continuing to allow him to make baffling personnel decisions.

Based on the level of vitriol from fans, though, it's unclear whether adding checks and balances to Harrison's power will be enough to keep fans from abandoning the team if he's still there.

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Mavericks reportedly looking to pair Nico Harrison with 'experienced' exec after Luka Doncic trade debacle

By Sam Westmoreland | 3:52 PM EDT