The Dallas Mavericks may have snapped their losing streak with a win over the Washington Wizards, but tension still remains. Naji Marshall’s 30 points off the bench helped steady a shaky outing, yet the victory isn’t helping the team’s general manager. Nico Harrison remains under pressure amid reports that the Mavericks could be eyeing a potential leadership change within the organization.

According to Marc Stein, owner Patrick Dumont is willing to give Mavericks GM Nico Harrison more time, but… There’s also a growing belief “that the front office executive who conceived and pushed for the widely criticized Doncic deal can no longer be the one trying to pilot the organization past it.” As it stands, internal tension overshadowed even the win over the Wizards.

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon noted Dumont interjected in the team’s decision to rest Anthony Davis. It has to be a “significant” moment, as the owner rushed to make a decision that would usually be entrusted to Harrison. And so, despite a positive result against the Wizards, he doesn’t feel Harrison’s job status has changed much. “There’s a whole lot of things that ain’t good with the Mavericks.”

“At this point, I believe it is a matter of when, not if, Nico Harrison will be fired. And there is a very, very strong likelihood that it will be midseason,” the analyst said on Hoop Collective. MacMahon feels Dumont’s recent intervention was a message.

After all that has been happening in the last two quarters, the trust that he once had in Nico Harrison has “disintegrated” and it doesn’t need any analysis to understand. And frankly, this was one of the ways it could have gone. The decision to trade Luka Doncic was bold, but it led to severe catastrophe. Fans went against the team and Harrison, prompting the Mavericks to find some success.

With the Cooper Flagg move, things cooled a bit but never died. Now, as the opening week has been troubling, the attention is back on Nico Harrison. Their roster, despite being packed with talent and depth, isn’t being utilized well. And Harrison could face another headache as the Mavericks could lose a crucial player’s commitment.

Nico Harrison’s position could get more unstable

The owner making decisions about whether a player is fit enough is an alert sign, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he has lost trust. With Anthony Davis’ recurring injuries in recent years, Dumont might want to preach patience to avoid aggravating a pre-existing injury, as it happened with AD last season. But as the general manager, Nico Harrison would at least want the morale of the team to be high.

Even in times of struggle, the team’s spirit sparks optimism. However, MacMahon fears Klay Thompson may be checked out if he continues to come off the bench. According to him, Thompson was promised a “starting job”. And while poor performances, including a career-low percentage from three, made the change necessary, MacMahon feels it could lead to the same situation as Thompson’s final season with the Golden State Warriors.

“Everybody who knows Klay knows how much pride he has. And man, coming off the bench in Golden State, he was miserable. And he was pissed… I knew they were thinking about it, but this was a big decision for J Kidd to make because, frankly, you risk just flat out losing Klay mentally. It’s going to be a challenge for him to stay in it mentally,” MacMahon added.

This comes amid the growing concerns of the Mavericks playing without a point guard. Now, D’Angelo Russell seems to have secured a starting spot, providing some relief to Cooper Flagg. But if Thompson and the players start to feel demotivated from these results, Harrison’s job could be in big trouble.

He has already lost the fans after trading Luka Doncic. Now, if he loses the confidence of the locker room, Dumont may have no other choice but to add some refreshing energy to the building. That is, of course, if the Mavericks can’t bounce back from their slump.

Anthony Davis will return soon, and more importantly, Kyrie Irving is expected to join the team around January. But this season needs to be the polar opposite of what happened in the previous year. Without a glimmer of hope that the Mavericks can compete after the controversial trade, Nico Harrison might be in huge trouble.