Tension surfaces at the Dallas Mavericks as Mark Cuban opens up on Luka Doncic trade

During a live taping of the All In podcast, Mark Cuban spoke about the Luka Doncic trade and how his influence over basketball operations changed after the sale.

With less authority than before, Cuban watched from a distance as the Mavericks found success. He hinted that the person responsible for moving the Slovenian star had no interest in keeping him involved with the team – and ended up getting their way.

“When I did the deal, the presumption was that I would still be running basketball,” Cuban said.

“We tried to put it in the contract, but the NBA said the governor is the governor and they make all final decisions.

“I was involved, and then we went on this run where we went to the Finals. And rather than trying to interject myself all the time, I was like, ‘I don’t wanna get in the way; we’re rolling.’

“That was a mistake… There were some things that happened internally where the person who traded Luka [Doncic] didn’t want me there. They won, I lost.”

Mark Cuban’s comments stir speculation over Mavericks decision-makers

As soon as Cuban made those remarks, there was plenty of talk about who he might have been talking about inside the Mavericks organisation.

Nico Harrison, the Mavericks’ GM, was the first name that came up. He played a key role in the deal and, naturally, attention fell on him. But Cuban has spoken in support of Harrison since then, which makes it less likely he was referring to him directly.

Another name that came up is Patrick Dumont, the team’s governor and son-in-law of majority owner Miriam Adelson.

Given that Dumont’s role removed Cuban from decision-making after the sale, it would not be surprising if this was who he had in mind during his comments.