During the third quarter of Monday night’s game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Patrick Dumont — governor of the Dallas Mavericks — took his usual courtside seat. Beside him sat 18-year-old Dallas resident Nicholas Dickason, wearing a gold jersey of Luka Dončić from his current team. Dickason’s family holds season tickets just four rows behind Dumont’s seat.
After the Mavericks’ opening-night blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs in October, Dickason — still upset about Dončić being traded in February — had yelled obscenities at Dumont and given him the finger.
He later felt bad about his behavior and, encouraged by his father, approached Dumont on Monday to apologise. Dumont accepted the apology — and reportedly offered his own admission of error.
“Basically Patrick was like, he feels horrible for the trade. And wants to make it up to us,” Dickason told The Athletic. “That’s basically what he said. He accepted my apology for it as well.”
Front-Office Shake-Up Amid Fan Fury
That seemingly straightforward conversation is just one sign among many that the Mavericks’ top leadership may regret how the franchise handled the Dončić trade. Over the weekend reports suggested that GM Nico Harrison’s job was effectively over.
As ESPN’s Tim MacMahon noted: “It is a matter of when, not if, Nico Harrison will be fired.” Multiple league‐sources have reportedly told The Athletic that none of the current structure can fix the Mavericks as they stand — one described them as “broken” and added, “You can’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”
Harrison’s decision to trade Dončić (a deal approved by Dumont) unleashed a wave of fan anger. Chanting of “Fire Nico” rang out throughout the final three months of last season, and resumed this year — including during the October 24 home loss to the Washington Wizards.
The pattern continued Monday during the Mavericks’ 116-114 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks, dropping the club to 3-8 on the season.
Late Game Chants Amid a Heart-breaker
In the dying seconds of that loss, with 1.2 seconds remaining, P.J. Washington stepped to the free-throw line after being fouled on a three-point attempt.
He made the first shot, lined up the second — and the “Fire Nico” chants erupted again. Washington missed, then intentionally missed his third shot. The Mavericks failed to recover the rebound. Washington later said:
“Everybody has an opinion. Everybody is entitled to that. It is what it is … We have to come out and do our jobs … Play basketball … Try to win each and every night.”
At home this season, Dallas sits at 2-5. Their next three games will all be at the American Airlines Center. Dumont had flown into Dallas Monday morning and took his courtside seat — the first time since Dickason flipped him off on Oct 22. His presence underscores the more active role he now appears to be playing in the franchise.
Leadership Getting Hands-On
Dumont’s mother-in-law, Miriam Adelson, purchased the Mavericks in 2023 for USD 3.5 billion. In the past, Dumont allowed basketball-operations staff (including Harrison) to run the team. Now he is stepping in. He has voiced opinions on when players return from injury.
For example, he personally weighed in on why the Mavericks took a cautious approach to Anthony Davis’ (the player received in the Dončić trade) return from a left-calf strain.
Davis had been listed questionable before two games and then downgraded to out at game-time. Davis wanted to play, but Dallas did not risk his calf injury worsening.
Fan Frustration Still Boiling Over
Despite next-gen prospects like No.1 pick Cooper Flagg — who scored 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting Monday despite a right-thumb sprain — the fanbase remains enraged.
With 29 seconds remaining, Flagg made a go-ahead basket over two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the crowd roared. Minutes later, the “Fire Nico” chants picked right back up.
After the game, Mavericks center Daniel Gafford was asked if the chanting was demoralising. He replied:
“At times, yes. But we know we have a job to do. It’s going to be a long season. Trying to win back a lot of fans. At the end of the day, we have to play the way we played in the first three quarters.”
“You can’t focus on that, because it’s not going to do anything besides hold us back, honestly.”
The Dončić Trade’s Lingering Shadow
The resentment over trading Dončić has been impossible to ignore. As Bucks coach put it ahead of the game:
“The whole Luka thing never goes away, unfortunately. It won’t go away. That’s a rough one.”
And the trade-drama was symbolised again Monday night, as Dumont sat courtside beside a teenager wearing Dončić’s gold Lakers jersey.
The Dallas Mavericks franchise is navigating a turbulent period. A simple courtside apology conversation between a fan and the team governor may seem small — yet it highlights the deeper emotional fault lines sliced open by a controversial trade of a franchise cornerstone, Luka Dončić.
Leadership changes loom, fan anger remains front-and-centre, and the governor himself is stepping into the basketball decisions in a way he hasn’t before. The team not only needs to win games, it needs to rebuild trust.
Until that happens, every chant, every courtside exchange and every strategic move will be viewed through the lens of that Feb 2025 blockbuster. For the Mavericks to move forward, they must not just fix the roster — they must heal the relationship with their fans and restore hope.
