“I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy 77 @luka7doncic in the first game of his new chapter!” When Luka Doncic suited up as a Laker for the first time, Dirk Nowitzki was in attendance supporting his mentee and former teammate. Ever since the trade happened in February, Dallas fans have echoed displeasure by chanting ‘Fire Nico’ at Nico Harrison. The GM’s recent move before the Play-In game did not prove any dividends, as another star is miffed with the franchise.

“Imagine the GM of the Spurs makes a trade and says, ‘I don’t care what Tim Duncan thinks.’” That’s how Chandler Parsons kicked off his fiery rant on Run It Back. And he wasn’t done. Parsons, who once suited up for the Mavs, didn’t just speak as an analyst—he came in hot as someone who knows the Dallas culture inside out.

“He brought up the best Mav of all time just to say his opinion doesn’t matter… I don’t understand how they let him do this.” Parsons wasn’t pulling punches. He straight-up called Nico Harrison’s comments “tone-deaf, disrespectful, and cowardly.”

“My obligation is to the Dallas Mavericks, it’s what’s in the best interest of the Dallas Mavericks, and that’s the most important thing.” No issue with this statement so far. However, the second part is what Parsons was not a fan of. “Some of those decisions are going to be unpopular, maybe to Dirk and maybe to the fans, but my obligation is to the Dallas Mavericks.” Obviously, name-dropping the franchise legend did not sit right with many.

Billed as a “roundtable,” the interview was supposed to be a controlled, thoughtful moment for Mavericks GM Nico Harrison to finally break his silence after the Luka Doncic trade. But instead of offering clarity, the setup raised more questions than it answered. Only a small, handpicked group of media members were invited, giving the whole thing a secretive, members-only vibe. And even for those lucky enough to get in the room, there were strings attached.

No live-tweeting. No live streaming. No cameras. No audio recording. It was the kind of restricted access that felt more like a classified Pentagon briefing than a sports media session. Harrison wasn’t alone either—team CEO Rick Welts was present, adding another layer of formality to what was supposed to be an open dialogue.

Yet, despite all the planning, the roundtable flopped. The conversation didn’t smooth anything over. Instead, it came off as awkward, overly scripted, and disconnected from the reality of fan and media frustration. If the goal was to calm the waters after the trade storm, the Mavericks might’ve just stirred them up even more.

Fans would have wanted Nico Harrison to accept responsibility. The GM addressed the media and made it clear that he has no regrets. But his statement does not care about the fans, or that Dirk Nowitzki did not sit well with many. With those words, GM Nico Harrison poured gasoline on an already blazing fire.

Insider reveals Dirk Nowitzki’s reaction to the franchise

The private media roundtable lasted close to an hour. One of the media personnel who had access and asked questions was ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. During the interview, it was clear that the GM doesn’t mind Luka being out of the team. He doubled down on ‘defense wins championships’ multiple times to prove his point. MacMahon detailed his conversation, and the answers from GM might baffle you.

“First of all, Dirk is completely turned off by this franchise.” Not ideal for Dallas fans to read this. MacMahon said on Hoops Collective, “I’ll have more on that coming out once they’re eliminated, so probably Thursday morning. But I asked, ‘Hey, why not seek Dirk’s input? Why not seek Cuban’s input?’ And he basically said, ‘If they’re not in the building, they don’t know what’s going on.’”

All this press conference was before the all-important Play-in game for the Mavs. That’s what MacMahon was referring to on Thursday morning.

So, Dirk Nowitzki is “turned off” by his former team, and MacMahon’s comments might have indicated that there’s something else at play. Even though the German legend hasn’t said a word, Parsons and Mark Cuban came in and voiced their opinion against the disrespect of the franchise legend.