Ever since the stunning Luka Doncic mega deal took place, many have wondered about what’s in the mind of Mark Cuban.
Mark Cuban, the beloved former governor of the Dallas Mavericks, served as the primary proponent of Luka Doncic’s arrival in the organization. Nearly seven years ago, it was Cuban who called a trade for the Slovenian sensation during the 2018 NBA Draft night, identifying him as the newest sheriff in town to succeed the retiring legend Dirk Nowitzki.
But in a blink of an eye, Cuban’s long term plan for the Mavericks with the Doncic era instantly turned into dust as the Dallas brass pulled the most shocking trade in basketball, sending the superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Cuban himself was caught blindsided upon the turn of events, prompting him try to stop the deal in a last-second attempt. It was too late. Now the minority owner in the franchise, the Adelson family had already pulled the trigger, agreeing with GM Nico Harrison‘s bold move.
From this, it can be assumed already that Cuban is against the Doncic trade. And in his first interview since the shocking deal, the ex-Mavericks majority owner further provided his honest thoughts about the biggest event in ball club’s history.
Cuban fully understands the Mavericks fanbase’s sheer frustration and hatred about Doncic’s departure.
Since last month, tons of Mavs faithful mourned and aired their grievances about the exit of the young European star. Beyond this, NBA fans and experts have also ripped Nico Harrison and governor Patrick Dumont.
Out of this, Cuban also holds the same bewilderment about the LA Lakers’ price to pay just to easily snag the 25-year-old.
In an exclusive sit-down interview for WFAA on March 6, Cuban argued that the Mavericks should have asked for more pieces in exchange for the five-time All-Star beyond just Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and an unprotected future first-round pick.
“If the Mavs are going to trade Luka, that’s one thing,” Cuban said. “Just get a better deal.
“I still firmly believe if we had gotten four unprotected number ones, Anthony Davis, and Max Christie, this would be a different conversation.”
Citing weight and conditioning concerns with several rumors about hesitancy in paying him a supermax deal, Harrison and Dumont were compelled to cut the Mavericks’ ties with Doncic. This was eventually met with criticism due to the fact that Doncic just led the Mavs to the 2024 NBA Finals.
After nearly two months of inactivity due to calf issues, Doncic quickly suited up for the Lakers and has been a huge reason for the team’s ongoing meteoric rise, winning nine of their last nine games en route to being the top-two team in the Western Conference (40-21) and a legitimate title contender.
As for Davis, while he wholeheartedly embraced the challenge to perform and prove that Dallas never made a mistake to trade for him, only for the star big man run to be quickly cut short when he went down in his Mavericks debut.
With Kyrie Irving sustaining a brutal torn ACL injury, the Mavericks are in a disastrous spot at this stage of the season. At 32-21 as the West’s 10th seed, they’ve been 6-8 since the Doncic trade and is surely out of the title contention picture.
For a player of a caliber like Doncic, who is just about to approach the prime stage of his career, the Mavericks certainly could have gotten a much better lucrative package beyond the Lakers’ offer.
