The trajectory of the Dallas Mavericks franchise changed on February 1, 2025, when the franchise inexplicably traded superstar guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were gifted a 25-year-old megastar after their first NBA Finals appearance, while the Lakers traded away 31-year-old Anthony Davis, 21-year-old Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.
Dallas has been unable to recover from the brutal trade, and fans said they would not be satisfied until Nico Harrison was fired, which came less than a year after the trade was pulled off.
The Mavs selected Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft last year, and hope to add another piece to their puzzle this summer.
In a recent interview with Adam Friedland on The Adam Friedland Show, former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban talked about the franchise's decision to trade Luka Doncic without consulting him.
"Do you regret hiring Nico Harrison? Cuban was asked.
"Yeah, sometimes, I do," Cuban replied. "When we do stupid things like the Luka trade. I miss it because I think the fans have been let down, and I think because I've let them down. That's what bothers me the most.
"As much as I loved it, and I still love the Mavs. I'll always be a Mavs fan, sometimes there's bigger things to do. I love the Mavs."
To this day, Mark Cuban says he still remembers exactly where he was and how the famous Luka Doncic deal happened.
"I remember exactly where I was," Cuban said. "I was talking to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, literally I was at a health care event and there were six or seven politicians there. We were having beers and I got a message from our general manager and he said, 'Hey can you talk?'
"I hired him. Yeah, looking back now, it was a mistake. He was like, 'Mark call me,' and I did and when he told me about it, I thought he was asking me instead of telling me and he said, 'No, it's done.' And I was like fuck?!
Mark Cuban has retained a small ownership stake after once seeing the majority prior to the Doncic trade. At 23-41 on the season, the Dallas Mavericks are the third-worst team in the Western Conference and will hopefully be able to acquire pieces that will best complement each other.
