Mark Cuban's icy message about Nico Harrison is bad sign for Mavericks

It isn't necessary for Nico Harrison to discuss things with Cuban, as Cuban sold his majority share of the team to Miriam Adelson in December of 2023, and he didn't keep any operation control of the team (although, he argues that he was supposed to). So, Cuban isn't involved in any of the day-to-day decision making whatsoever.

However, Nico Harrison is a general manager because of Mark Cuban. Harrison had no previous experience in an NBA front office, but Cuban believed he could be a great general manager due to his experience and network of relations from his time at Nike. And there was a time when Nico Harrison looked like a great executive, but the last nine months have really damaged his reputation.

If relationships are this cold between a minority owner, who is still a prominent figure with the team, and the lead decision-making executive, how will that trickle down for the rest of the team? It's not a great sign, and it's honestly incredible that Harrison hasn't been fired.

How the Luka Doncic Trade Ruined Everything For Mark Cuban and Nico Harrison

Nico Harrison's decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers while only discussing the potential deal with Rob Pelinka and Patrick Dumont is absolutely the sticking point. Cuban had made quotes in the past saying that he'd rather get divorced than to let Luka Doncic leave the Mavericks.

Then, after some weeks of silence in the immediate aftermath of the trade, Cuban went on an interview tour, saying he had nothing to do with the trade, was shocked by it, and believes the Mavericks didn't get nearly enough back in return. He wanted to distance himself from this decision as much as possible.

Even if Cuban is right (which he was; the Mavs got NOWHERE near enough value back for a 25-year-old five-time First-Team All-NBA selection), it was odd to see someone who is still a partial owner of the team stand on a soapbox like this to talk about how much he doesn't like a decision the team made.