Even more than a year later, the Luka Dončić trade remains one of the most talked-about moves in NBA history. The fallout from Luka’s departure from Dallas continues to generate headlines, with wounds still not healed. Now, Mark Cuban sits down and candidly admits his “regret” over Nico Harrison, the man who orchestrated it all.
Mark Cuban Admits Hiring Nico Harrison Was a Mistake
Speaking on a recent episode of The Adam Friedland Show, Cuban was asked directly about his decision to hire Harrison as general manager and president of basketball operations back in 2021. His answer was blunt. “I hired him,” Cuban said. “Yeah, in hindsight now it was a mistake, but whatever.”
Harrison was fired by the Mavericks early in the 2025-26 season after orchestrating the trade that sent Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a package headlined by Anthony Davis.
The deal stunned the basketball world. Davis played just 29 games for Dallas before being traded to the Washington Wizards. Dončić, meanwhile, is currently leading the league in scoring and guiding the Lakers toward the playoffs.
Cuban also shed light on how power dynamics within the organization shifted after the Adelson family purchased the controlling stake in the franchise. “Basically, Nico forced me out because the guy I hired got the new guy to basically trust him and ignore me,” Cuban said.
In November last year, he even described learning about the Dončić trade not in advance, but via a text from Harrison after the deal was already done. “I thought he was telling me that he’s thinking about it, then I realized it’s done,” Cuban said. “Nothing I can do, not my party… I wasn’t happy about it.”
To his credit, Harrison’s tenure was not without its highlights. The Mavericks made two Western Conference Finals appearances and reached the 2024 NBA Finals under his watch, though they were dominated by the Boston Celtics. The Dončić trade, however, overshadowed everything else.
Dallas caught a significant break by landing the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft and selecting Cooper Flagg out of Duke. The rookie has shown genuine star potential and is currently second in the Rookie of the Year race. But Cuban has been clear that his feelings for Dončić have not changed.
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When asked on the show if Flagg was now his favorite player, Cuban played along briefly before coming clean. “Cooper Flagg. No, I love Luka. Luka’s my guy.”
The Mavericks are set to miss the playoffs this season. Dončić is thriving in Los Angeles. And Harrison is out of a job. For Cuban, the admission may be overdue, but it is no less telling for arriving late.
