標籤: Cuban

The Dallas Mavericks have seen their fair share of ups and downs during Mark Cuban’s ownership. They have seen many top-class players play for the franchise, from Dirk Nowitzki to Luka Doncic and now Cooper Flagg.

However, the Mavs have missed out on several big names over the years, and one reason for this is selecting the wrong players in various drafts. When asked about his biggest misses over the past few years, owner Mark Cuban gave two very valid responses in the form of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tyrese Maxey.

“Oh, there are a lot of them. Tyrese Maxi was a big miss for us recently. Greek Freak [Giannis Antetokounmpo] Was probably the biggest,” he said on the Adam Friedland Show, according to HoopsHype.

And well, that makes perfect sense. Dallas had the No. 13 and No. 18 picks in the 2013 and 2020 drafts, with Antetokounmpo selected as the 15th and 21st overall picks, respectively. Instead, Dallas selected Kelly Olynyk and Josh Green in their respective drafts.

Despite this, both Giannis and Maxi have established themselves as All-Stars in their final homes with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers. However, it would definitely hurt more to miss the Greek Freak.

The Bucks’ talisman has also become a 10-time All-Star and two-time MVP. He is on his way to becoming a Hall of Famer and by the time he retires, he may be viewed as one of the best players in modern NBA history.

On the other hand, Tyrese Maxey has also established himself as one of the best young offensive stars in the NBA. The 2024 MVPs have continued to improve their averages year after year, and Cuban has every right to view these two players as his biggest misses.

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.

The acquisition of Lamar Odom in December 2011 was initially heralded as a masterstroke by the Dallas Mavericks’ front office. After winning back-to-back championships and then earning the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award with the Los Angeles Lakers, Odom’s limited production in Dallas led to bitterness with owner Mark Cuban, who once claimed he did not get his money’s worth from the player.

And whereas the now 46-year-old once wanted to wash locker rooms with the Mavericks owner, Odom now appears more willing to move on.

“Man, this white man has got it in his heart to get his point across. He needs to kick me in the shin. You know, Mark Cuban’s time has passed. I forgive you. But if it wasn’t your cousin sitting right here next to you, I would have put him in the locker and washed the locker with him. Yo, I was going to wash the locker room with him,” he said on the Cousins Podcast. According to HoopsHype.

Odom came to Dallas after a stellar season, during which he averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He was shipped to Dallas for essentially nothing more than an $8.9 million trade exception and a future first-round selection.

However, the transaction quickly turned into a basketball and public relations disaster. Dealing with personal issues including the previous loss of his infant son and drug use, Odom’s on-court production reached career lows of 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, while shooting a massive 35.2% from the floor. Cuban reportedly constantly harassed Odom from his courtside seats, openly criticizing his conditioning and labeling him a “waste of money.”

Odom’s career apparently never took off again. He was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers the following season as part of a four-team deal. Odom averaged four points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in the 2012–13 campaign before stints in Spain and China.