"Nico Harrison has to go" - Shaquille O'Neal offers no-nonsense solution to end 'Mavericks curse'

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal offered a solution for the Dallas Mavericks' "curse" to end. In the 2024-25 season, the Mavericks turned their franchise around after a blockbuster deal with the LA Lakers. The organization went viral after they traded away Luka Doncic, a 26-year-old generational star, for Anthony Davis.

Since then, Dallas has dealt with unfortunate happenings to its roster. Davis got hurt, as well as two rotational big men in Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Additionally, All-Star guard Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

The star they traded away, however, has flourished with his new team. Doncic has helped the Lakers (40-23) improve, and they are now fourth in the Western Conference.

On Thursday's episode of his podcast, "The Big Podcast with Shaq," his co-host, Adam Lefkoe, told the TNT analyst that the Mavericks might be "cursed" as a result of what has transpired.

The two tried to figure out how Dallas' curse could be lifted. Eventually, O'Neal offered a solution for the franchise which he believed could fix their problems. The former Lakers star thought of his solution after Lefkoe said curses can be lifted if sacrifices are made. This led to the four-time champion revealing that the Mavs should have to let their general manager, Nico Harrison, go.

"Nico has to go," O'Neal said (Timestamp: 33:41).

Mavericks fans have demonstrated against the team's decision because they feel that the management deceived them. They didn't hold back in their protest, demanding that Harrison resign from his executive post or be fired.

The chant "Fire Nico" started in Dallas when the front office decided to ship Docic to Los Angeles. It has also gone viral on X (formerly Twitter) as fans continue to barrage the Mavs' management to let Harrison go.

Shaquille O'Neal wants the Mavericks to give the reason behind their decision to trade Doncic

Luka Doncic was a beloved superstar in Dallas, and trading him while in his prime was a head-scratching move. During a February episode of Shaquille O'Neal's podcast, the icon said he wants the Mavericks to reveal to the public why they made the decision. He believes the fans deserve to know the reason.

"I think it's just fun conversation," Shaq said (Timestamp: 4:51). "But in the treachery of the business of basketball, people just need to come out and say it.

"Like, I want Nico to say, 'This is why we traded him.' Nobody's really given an answer. We want to know. Dirk wants to know. Mark Cuban wants to know. All of Dallas wants to know. Why did you trade one of the best players in the league?"

So far, the Mavs have pointed out that Doncic's conditioning is the reason behind the deal. However, many people believe that there's more to it.