‘It Was A Mistake’: Mark Cuban Regrets Hiring Nico Harrison As Dallas Mavericks GM

Harrison, of course, traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers last season. Cuban, who is no longer the Mavericks’ principal owner, wasn’t consulted about the trade.

Dallas fired Harrison in November and appointed Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi as co-interim general managers. Anthony Davis played in only 29 games with the Mavericks after the Dončić trade. The big man was traded to the Washington Wizards at this year’s NBA trade deadline.

Dončić was devastated when the Mavericks traded him. He cried for hours and threw his phone at a wall. The All-Star wanted to spend his entire NBA career in Dallas, but Harrison had issues with Dončić’s weight, injury issues and lack of defensive effort.

The Lakers signed Dončić to a three-year, $165 million extension in August. Dončić, who leads the NBA in points per game this season, is expected to spend the rest of his career with Los Angeles.

Dallas got lucky by winning the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery after trading Dončić to the Lakers. The franchise selected Cooper Flagg, who looks like a future star. The Mavericks are looking forward to Flagg playing with All-Star guard Kyrie Irving next season.

However, the Dončić trade will always haunt Cuban and Dallas fans. Dončić, who guided the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024, appeared in 422 games with Dallas. He averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game and made five All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams.

The Mavericks are in rebuild mode in the post-Dončić era. Meanwhile, the Lakers are in third place in the Western Conference standings. They are looking to win their 18th championship in franchise history this season with Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves leading the way.

The hope in Dallas is that the organization gets lucky again and has a top draft pick in the 2026 draft. The Mavericks could be a dangerous team next season with Flagg and Irving leading the way if one of the top college players lands in Big D.