Dirk Nowitzki Reaches Peace with the Mavericks Post-Nico Harrison Firing

Retired legend Dirk Nowitzki remains the greatest player in Dallas Mavericks history, and that will last even longer since the team traded away Luka Doncic last year. Ironically, this trade played a role in Nowitzki distancing himself from the franchise after years of loyalty. Nowitzki loved playing for owner Mark Cuban and remained closely tied to the Mavericks after his retirement. However, various changes in ownership and in the front office saw Nowitzki upset about Luka getting traded and other moves. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said Dirk recently made his first step towards repairing the relationship: “His presence and his willingness to be shown on the jumbotron, his son Max wearing a Cooper Flagg jersey, that was an indication of Dirk kind of starting to accept an olive branch from Patrick Dumont, because the relationship between Dirk and the franchise had completely frayed.” Nowitzki attending games again with his son and showing up after the owner Patrick Dumont reached out is a good sign. Cooper Flagg gives Dallas another franchise star with legend potential to provide optimism for the fan base. Nowitzki getting welcomed back into the Mavericks family is also pivotal for the fans to be content moving forward. What Upset Dirk Nowitzki So Much? Nowitzki stopped showing love to the Mavericks franchise due to Nico Harrison’s time running the front office as General Manager. Various moves outside of trading Doncic upset Nowitzki, according to MacMahon. “The Luka trade was the absolute last straw, but it had frayed before then, going back to when Nico Harrison fired Casey Smith, and Dirk was not going to be any part of this franchise as long as Nico Harrison was running basketball operations. Obviously, he’s not anymore. Patrick Dumont has reached out in an effort to begin repairing that relationship, and I think that Dirk is open-minded in terms of being a part of the franchise moving forward, potentially.” Dallas firing Harrison ended up being a great thing for the franchise to get some relief from the highly stressful situation. Everything the Mavericks did tied back to Doncic getting traded and saw the fan base resentful. Nowitzki and the fan base both have given the team a chance since the Harrison firing. Dirk Nowitzki Represents Dallas Mavericks Basketball No player in franchise history has been as important as Nowitzki was during his lengthy career. Doncic had a chance to challenge Nowitzki, but that is obviously out of the window. Time will tell if Flagg has the skill set to become a constant All-Star and franchise player. Nowitzki loved having the responsibility of being the face of a franchise, especially since he was among the first European players to receive such an honor. Dallas fans will always care about Dirk and his opinion about the franchise. Harrison’s strange tenure and the new ownership rubbed fans the wrong way, so it stood out even more that Nowitzki seemed unhappy with the franchise as well. Dumont reaching out with an olive branch to bring Dirk back into the family is only positive news at winning back the fan base.