The basketball world continues to buzz over the tectonic trade that sent Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in early February. Many have criticized Mavericks executive Nico Harrison for making the deal, and he remains persona non grata in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
It seems safe to say that if Mark Cuban were still heavily involved with the Mavs at the time, Doncic would still be on their roster right now. He purchased a majority share of the franchise in 2000, but he sold most of his share in late 2023 and became a minority owner afterward.
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During an appearance on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast, Cuban said that while he still loves Doncic as a man, he’s not exactly rooting for the Slovenian on the basketball court anymore.
“Off the court, I love Luka to death, but on the court, [expletive] him,” said Cuban “I don’t want him to get hurt or anything. … They have the same color as my high school, and I threw my high school gear away.
“… I’m gonna hope they (the Lakers) go 0-82.”
With apologies to Hall of Fame Dirk Nowitzki, Doncic is probably the greatest player in Mavs history. Doncic took an unimpressive roster to the Western Conference finals in 2022, and two years later, he carried the fifth-seeded Mavs all the way to the NBA Finals.
He’s now looking to bring the Lakers at least one world championship in the years to come. He dropped plenty of weight and got into much better shape this summer, and it appears he’s poised to have an MVP-caliber season.
The Mavericks took shots at Doncic in the media after the trade for being fat and out of shape, as well as for not taking great care of his body. It is widely believed that such criticism has been part of the reason for his physical transformation this offseason.
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This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Mark Cuban on how he feels about Luka Doncic following trade to Lakers