Mark Cuban has just admitted making the exact same mistake with Dallas Mavericks sale they did with Luka Doncic trade

Mark Cuban admits to making the same mistake with Dallas Mavericks sale that the team made with Luka Doncic, ‘I regret how…’

The truly egregious detail of the Doncic trade was that General Manager Nico Harrison didn’t explore the market for him. He informed Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers about his availability, and after Pelinka picked his jaw up from the floor, he somehow convinced Harrison that the trade needed to remain secret. 

That meant by the time the trade news dropped, the consensus from NBA teams was that they would have offered more than what the Lakers gave up. 

Cuban wasn’t involved in the Doncic trade. In 2023, he sold his majority stake in the team and now owns just 27% of the Mavs. He is no longer in control of basketball operations or day-to-day decision-making.

But he recently said on the DLLS Mavericks Podcast that he made the same mistake the Mavericks did when trading Doncic. “I don’t regret selling the team, I regret how I did it,” Cuban revealed. “I would have put it out to bid.”

Dallas didn’t shop around for Doncic, and Cuban made the same error with his Mavericks sale. Different owners could have given Cuban a decision-making role on the team or allowed him to keep a larger stake. It’s certainly unlikely they would have traded away a generational talent in Doncic.

Cuban came out in support of Harrison following the trade. He recounted his past experience of trading two-time future MVP Steve Nash to the Phoenix Suns when he was running the team. Perhaps this is the reason why Cuban has sympathy for Harrison. 

Business is complex, and Cuban made mistakes when running the Mavericks. But his relationship with Harrison behind closed doors was damaged by the Doncic deal. 

Mark Cuban reveals he does not talk with Nico Harrison

It appears that the public support and empathy expressed by Cuban towards Harrison may not be representative of their private relationship. He was asked if he was on speaking terms with Harrison. His response? “No”.

Harrison called Cuban before the trade was announced, but not before it was agreed. He revealed his response to the news on the Stephen A. Smith Show in April. 

When he got the call from Harrison, Cuban responded: “You’re asking me, right? This isn’t done.” Harrison said, “No, it’s done”, to which Cuban replied, “Okay. Nothing more to talk about.”

There is still nothing to talk about. Cuban doesn’t regret selling the team, but it seems he does regret who he handed the keys over to. They traded away the city’s beloved superstar just two years on from the sale. 

There’s hope for the franchise with Cooper Flagg, who Cuban has high hopes for, but the sour taste in the mouths of Dallas fans lingers.