Why did Mavericks fire Donnie Nelson? Where is Donnie Nelson now?

On Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks announced that they have amicably agreed to part ways with longstanding general manager Donnie Nelson. As some have guessed, the choice was not as “mutual” as the team would have you believe.

According to The Athletic’s Tim Cato and Sam Amick, Nelson had begun to feel as if he was no longer fully in charge of the Mavericks’ roster. He believed his judgment was less important than that of Haralabos Voulgaris, a former professional gambler hired by Mark Cuban in 2018.

Voulgaris’ official title is director of quantitative research and development, but Cuban has emphasized his analytics-driven approach and given him a prominent voice.

Nelson’s worries were allegedly not warmly welcomed when he approached Cuban. Nelson was sacked by the Mavericks on Sunday after 24 years with the team, according to The Athletic.

Nelson allegedly thought a line had been passed, though Voulgaris never openly attempted to overtake Nelson as the major decision-maker on the basketball side of things. The long-time general manager feared that Voulgaris’ friendship with Cuban and the widespread notion within the organization that Voulgaris is Cuban’s No. 2 were undermining his credibility.

Information about where Nelson is and what he is doing currently after his termination is unclear.