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Apr 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) hugs Mark Cuban after the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

'I Let People Down' – Dallas Mavericks’ Mark Cuban Comments on the Luka Doncic Trade

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Reign Amurao | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 10:54 AM ET

The Dallas Mavericks lost a lot of fans when they traded All-Star guard Luka Doncic. The Slovenian sensation was close to leading the Mavericks to a championship in 2024 against the Boston Celtics. Although they fell short, it showed that Dallas was on the right track with Doncic as the No. 1 option. Even his co-star, Kyrie Irving, didn’t have the best outing against the Celtics in six games, averaging 19.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

But the Mavericks still went with their plan and got rid of the five-time All-Star for Anthony Davis. Fans were heartbroken and enraged with the move. There are a few who pointed out that Cuban is at fault for selling the team to Adelson and Sivan and Patrick Dumont.

Cuban has stated multiple times that he wants Doncic to spend the rest of his career in Dallas. He even joked about having to divorce his wife before he could consider trading the European superstar. But he was powerless to stop the agreement from happening.

On Tuesday, he appeared as a guest on the “DLLS Mavs Podcast.” During his appearance, the former Dallas Mavericks owner talked about the Doncic trade.

“Those things dissipate with time,” Cuban said. “We all were hurt when Luka got traded, me as much as anyone because I felt like I let people down by not being there. But what’s done is done.

Mark Cuban reacts to the Luka Doncic trade:

"I felt like I let people down by not being there." pic.twitter.com/tyvO1nLPme

— DLLS Mavs (@DLLS_Mavs) August 26, 2025

Cuban looked at the positive aftermath of the trade. When the Mavs lost Doncic, the team struggled to make the playoffs. This allowed them to be in the lottery and acquire the No. 1 pick of this year’s draft. Dallas used it to draft former Duke forward Cooper Flagg.

Cuban regrets how he sold the Dallas Mavericks

Apr 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban walks off the court after the game against the Toronto Raptors at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

With everything that’s happened for the Dallas Mavericks, there have been a few regrets from certain people. One of the people who has been vocal about having regrets is Mark Cuban. Selling the team isn’t one of his regrets. However, he feels strongly about the method of the sale.

According to Cuban, he thought that it would’ve been better if he put the organization “out to bid.”

“I don’t regret selling the team, I regret how I did it. Would I still sell the team? Yes, for all the reasons that I’ve said 100 times. Would I do it the same way? Absolutely not…I would’ve put it out to bid, but I didn’t so it doesn’t matter. I got along great with them, they gave me their man of the year award,” Cuban said.

“The contractual terms didn’t turn out the way, the contract didn’t lead to what I expected to happen.”

Oct 7, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Mark Cuban looks on during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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