Mark Cuban On Luka Doncic Trade From Mavs’ End: ‘Get A Better Deal’

In an exclusive interview with WFAA’s Jonah Javad on Thursday evening, former Mavericks majority owner and current minority stakeholder Mark Cuban broke his silence regarding the stunning decision to trade star guard Luka Doncic to the Lakers.

The trade, which has rocked the NBA, saw the Mavericks part with Doncic, Markieff Morris, and Maxi Kleber, while acquiring Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round draft pick.

Additionally, Utah entered the deal, securing a pair of second-round picks in exchange for taking on the salary of Jalen Hood-Schifino, who was waived and is now on a two-way deal with the 76ers.

Cuban expressed clear disappointment with the trade’s structure.

“Yeah, of course. … If the Mavs are going to trade Luka, that’s one thing,” he said. “Just get a better deal. … I still firmly believe if we had gotten four unprotected number ones and Anthony Davis and Max Christie, this would be a different conversation.”

When asked whether he would have made the trade himself, Cuban was adamant in his response: “I’m not going to go there. It doesn’t even matter.”

Cuban, who was a dominant presence in the Mavericks’ front office for years, confirmed he had no prior knowledge of the trade before it was publicly reported.

“I knew five minutes at the most before (it was reported),” Cuban said. “From a basketball perspective, you know, I hear about it after the fact, I don’t hear about anything beforehand.”

Reflecting on the difficulty of being sidelined from such pivotal decisions, Cuban acknowledged the personal challenge of being out of the loop.

“Yeah, there are parts that aren’t fun, obviously,” he said. “Especially this month, or last month. But, you know, they paid for that right.”

When asked about whether he regretted selling his majority stake in the Mavericks, Cuban expressed mixed feelings.

“Sometimes I get mad (and think) ‘I would have done this.’ But, not really,” he said. “… I didn’t want my kids to end up in this exact position, at some level, if they made a mistake. Imagine if I didn’t [sell], and my kids had taken over and they made a mistake like this.”

Cuban also pointed out that the team’s communication with fans has been a challenge since the trade.

“I think the biggest challenge that the Mavs have right now is there’s nobody who’s really outgoing to communicate,” he said. “It’s not so much what you do, it’s how you communicate why you do what you do — and that’s their challenge without me in front.”

Cuban revealed that he had not been consulted by General Manager Nico Harrison or team governor Patrick Dumont since the trade. “I have not talked to Nico about it. I said hi to Nico twice after the trade,” he said.