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Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban (left) and governor Patrick Dumont, remain during the a press conference officially introducing Dallas Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg on Friday, June 27, 2025, at Mavericks Training Center in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Shafkat Anowar\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
The one-year anniversary of the Luka Doncic trade<\/a> has already passed, but Nico Harrison\u2019s controversial decision that led to his firing remains a lasting topic of conversation.<\/p>\n Mark Cuban spoke about the stunning transaction on Tuesday\u2019s episode of Intersections<\/a>, a podcast hosted by former Dallas Mayor Tom\u00a0Leppert and entrepreneur Kyle Waldrep.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Cuban recalled the night of\u00a0Feb. 1, 2025, when Harrison informed him of the trade to acquire Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a future-first round pick for\u00a0Doncic. After that phone call, the Mavericks minority shareholder said he called team governor Patrick Dumont.<\/p>\n \u201cHe started telling me stuff that wasn\u2019t true that he had been told as the reason why he approved it,\u201d Cuban said. \u201cI\u2019m like, ‘That\u2019s not true. This is a mistake. But nothing I can do. Here\u2019s how you spin it positively as best as you can.’\u201d<\/p>\n In the aftermath of the trade, several reports surfaced citing Doncic\u2019s suboptimal conditioning and off-court habits, such as drinking beer and smoking hookah, as contributing factors to his departure from Dallas, where he spent 6.5 seasons as the face of the Mavericks.<\/p>\n Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care if he\u2019s overweight, he\u2019s gonna give you 30 [points], 10 [rebounds] and 10 [assists] and win the game,\u201d Cuban said. \u201cThat\u2019s what made Luka special.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Doncic is having an\u00a0MVP-worthy season, his first full one with the Lakers, averaging 33.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists for a team sitting firmly as the third seed in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t trade that,\u201d Cuban added. \u201cI\u00a0think some people got in their feelings. All I\u2019ll tell you is, it wasn\u2019t Michael Finley, and you can surmise who else was in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n Cuban\u2019s comment absolved\u00a0involvement in the unpopular decision for Finley, who has served as co-interim general manager since Harrison’s firing, but he pointed the finger at Mavericks coach Jason\u00a0Kidd, who, like Harrison, had a longstanding relationship with Davis. Kidd has said since the trade that he wasn\u2019t aware it was happening until the \u201c11th hour.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t justify it for our coach and our general manager to stand up and trade our best player,\u201d Cuban said on the podcast.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Cuban also said he thought there was animosity between Harrison and\u00a0Doncic\u2019s agent, Bill Duffy, and others who work with\u00a0the six-time All-Star.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think they got along,\u201d Cuban said.<\/p>\n In a clip from the interview released Monday, Cuban said he made a mistake<\/a> selling the franchise to Dumont and his mother-in-law, majority shareholder Miriam\u00a0Adelson.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t regret selling. I regret who I sold to,\u201d Cuban said. \u201cI made a lot of mistakes in the process, and I\u2019ll leave it at that.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Doncic and the Lakers will make their\u00a0second and final return to American Airlines Center this season Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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