When Luka DonÄŤić was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on February 2, the backlash from Mavs Nation was swift and merciless. All fingers pointed squarely at GM Nico Harrison. The anger subsided somewhat when the Dallas Mavericks officially secured Cooper Flagg as the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but just as tensions seemed to cool, voices against Harrison rose once again. This time, it’s coming from none other than former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban himself.
Previously, Cuban had revealed that he doesn’t communicate much with Harrison following the DonÄŤić trade. Now he’s made an even more shocking revelation about their relationship.
Did Nico Harrison Push Mark Cuban Out of Basketball Operations?
Recently, Cuban appeared on the “All-In Podcast.” However, co-host Jason Calacanis steered the conversation back to basketball before diving into politics. He asked Cuban what really happened after he sold the Mavericks and why he hadn’t retained more influence in team operations.
Cuban didn’t dodge the question. Instead, he dropped a revelation that turned heads by indirectly admitting that Harrison essentially pushed him out of basketball operations.
“Yeah, I f****d up… I mean, when I did the deal, the presumption was that I would still be running basketball. We tried to put it in the contract, but the NBA said that the governor is the governor and they make all the final decisions,” Cuban explained.
“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 want to get in the way, we are rolling.’ That was a mistake. There were some things that happened internally where you know the person who traded Luka didn’t want me there. So they won, and I lost,” Cuban said during the show.
How Did Cuban Build the Mavericks Into Champions?
This was a shocking admission given Cuban’s legacy with the Mavericks. Since purchasing the team from H. Ross Perot Jr. in January 2000 for $285 million, Cuban transformed Dallas into a championship-caliber franchise.
#OTD in 2011, the @dallasmavs took down the Miami Heat to secure their first-ever NBA Championship! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/thxMkNDtwY
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 12, 2019
His bold leadership culminated in the Mavericks capturing their first-ever NBA title in 2011, forever cementing Cuban as a beloved figure in Dallas sports history.
MARK CUBAN đź‘Ź
1982: Started MicroSolutions
1990: Sells for $6M
1995: Co-founded Broadcast .com
1999: Sells for $5.7B
2000: Buys Mavs for $285M
2011: Wins NBA Championship
2023: Sells majority stake of Mavs at a valuation of $3.5B pic.twitter.com/lSx9twgOsi
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 29, 2023
Things changed in December 2023Â when Cuban sold a majority stake in the franchise to the Adelson and Dumont families in a deal worth around $3.5 billion. At the time, Cuban retained a minority stake, leading many to assume he would continue to shape basketball decisions.
What Makes This Power Struggle Even More Ironic?
However, Cuban admitted on the podcast that his role was little more than symbolic. He reflected candidly, even acknowledging that he “f****d up” by underestimating how much influence he would lose after the sale.
What makes this twist even more ironic is that Cuban was the one who brought Harrison into the fold in 2021. Harrison was appointed general manager and basketball operations president, replacing longtime executive Donnie Nelson. Now, the very man he hired has edged him out of the basketball side of the organization.
Still, Cuban didn’t sound bitter, admitting during the podcast that, “But that’s in the past. I’m still hardcore Mavs, MFFL.”
For Mavericks fans, though, the present remains a concern. Last season, Dallas stumbled to a 39-43 record and fell short of a guaranteed playoff berth. Their season ended in disappointment after being eliminated by the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament. With Flagg in the mix, the Mavericks hope to usher in a brighter future.
