Mark Cuban Makes It Very Clear That He Wouldn't Have Made Luka Doncic Trade

Cuban was 'dumbfounded' by the Mavericks' decision to trade Luka Doncic.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hugs forward Luka Doncic. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA when they decided to trade the face of their franchise Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis ahead of the trade deadline in February. Among those shocked was Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban, who recalled learning about the trade shortly after it took place.

"I get a text. It was from our general manager. I thought he was asking me what I thought, and then I realized very quickly he was telling me what happened," Cuban said of learning about the trade on the Your Mom's House podcast. "And I told him I didn't agree with it... But it wasn't my decision to make."

Cuban owned the Mavericks from 2000 to '23 before selling the majority shares of the team to Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont. Cuban, who was part of the regime that drafted Doncic, says that the Doncic trade would have never happened if he was still the owner.

“If I had any influence, the trade wouldn’t happen," Cuban said. "I was just as dumbfounded as everybody else. After I sold the Mavericks, the new owner Patrick Dumont decided that, ‘O.K., in Nico we trust.’ So, here we are.”

Mark Cuban: "If I had any influence, the trade wouldn't happen. I was just as dumbfounded as everybody else. After I sold the Mavericks, the new owner Patrick Dumont decided that 'Ok, in Nico we trust.' So, here we are."

Via Reddit pic.twitter.com/0pcMwJw6UD

— Kirk Henderson (@KirkSeriousFace) March 21, 2025

"I loved Luka. ... We had a good relationship, got along great with his dad," Cuban said.

Cuban is far from alone in this sentiment. The trading of Doncic sparked an outcry and even protests among the Mavericks fanbase. After all, Doncic was a beloved, perennial All-Star for the Mavericks in the midst of his prime at 26 years old.

Even Dumont originally "laughed" when presented with the idea of trading Doncic, and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, who brought Doncic in, initially thought the Mavericks were joking. Ultimately, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison led the charge of trading Doncic, and Dumont allowed Harrison to go through with the unthinkable move, something Cuban never would have done.

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