Nico Harrison is out, and it’s time for the Dallas Mavericks to rebuild.The most unpopular general manager in the NBA, who had faced relentless ‘Fire Nico’ chants ever since he traded away superstar Luka Doncic in February, was finally given his marching orders Tuesday morning.The Mavericks fired Harrison this week after months of fan unrest in DallasGetty“Time will tell if I’m right,” Harrison said after the trade. Nine months on, and the overarching feeling is that he was wrong.He departs a Dallas team in turmoil, one that has won just three of its first 12 games, even with the best efforts of highly-rated No.1 pick Cooper Flagg.With the first overall selection as their centerpiece, the rebuild was supposed to begin this offseason, with Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis around Flagg things looked exciting but it’s been a shocking start to the season.Now, without the cloud of Harrison hanging over them, the Mavericks must make themselves competitive again.NBA Insider and talkSPORT contributor Marc Stein believes the best way to do that is by starting from scratch.Why Dallas Mavericks must completely rebuild around Cooper Flagg“Players were looking more forward to road games than home games, because they knew this doom and gloom has enveloped the building, this whole franchise,” Stein began.“(Firing Harrison) is first step, but this doesn’t instantly fix things, because this roster has been set back years by all of this. “But at least, emotionally, they can try now to start turning the page.“It’s going to be a long, difficult road back, because Luka Doncic is one of the three or four best players in the world, and you don’t easily replace that.“The playoffs, in a lot of ways, are already out of reach. They need to pivot. This has to be a rebuild around Cooper Flagg.The Mavericks have been urged to completely rebuild around rookie FlaggGettyDallas, though, will be feeling the impact of Harrison’s Doncic trade for years to comeGetty“Cooper Flagg’s timeline is now the only one that matters around here.”Luka Doncic decision will hang over Dallas for years to comeStein went on to explain that the ghost of Doncic will still be hanging over the Mavs for years to come, because of decisions that were made under Harrison’s watch.He continued: “In building a roster around Luka Doncic, to get him the shooters and vertical spacers that you want around him, the Mavs gave up control of their first-round pick in 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030.“The first one was a deal with Charlotte to get P.J. Washington. The next three are deals with their nearest geographical rivals — OKC, Houston, and San Antonio.“So, they’ve got to have a good draft (in 2026). Scouts are looking forward to it. “But this is the question everyone is asking: Will they shop Anthony Davis because it is time to start over and rebuild around Cooper Flagg?Davis has struggled to stay on the court since being traded to the MavericksGetty“Then there’s also the reality that Anthony Davis (who arrived in Dallas as part of the trade that sent Doncic to the LA Lakers) has only played 14 of his first 45 games that he’s been available. “He’s got to get back on the floor. In his current state, it’s hard to see how the Mavericks can generate a trade market for him.“This is just the beginning, but the Nico Harrison aspect of it escalated so quickly.”With a playoff run already out of sight amid a 3-10 start,and a super charged Western Conference, the Mavs will do well to find a flicker of life across the rest of the 2025-26 NBA season.Best NBA players in world5. Luka Doncic, Los Angeles LakersA healthy and fit Doncic is basically a basketball cheat code.He has all the talent in the world and has drawn better-than-Dirk-Nowitzki comparisons.Doncic can be unstoppable on offense and is still only 26-years-old while carrying the Lakers without James.“They traded for Luka with no guarantee he would re-sign,” NBA insider Marc Stein exclusively told talkSPORT. “He has re-signed. He’s there for the long term. They will be coming into flexibility this coming off season, the offseason after that. And you have to be honest, the Lakers have never struggled to attract more talent when they have flexibility.”talkSPORT ranks the best NBA players — right now But for the first time in months, a feeling of hope might finally top long-running frustration.Fans have finally got their wish. Harrison is gone, and in rookie Flagg, they have a franchise star they must build around.Stay up to date with the latest from the NBA across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.