It’s been almost two months, and the aftershocks of the Luka Dončić trade are still rattling the Dallas Mavericks. With every highlight-reel performance Dončić drops for the Los Angeles Lakers, Mavs fans are left staring at their screens in disbelief.
Injuries, bad decisions, and public blunders from the front office have turned this whole situation into a full-fledged disaster. Dallas has gone from an NBA Finals team to fighting for their lives just to make the Play-In Tournament. And now, Mark Cuban, the former majority owner of the Mavericks, is breaking his silence.
Mark Cuban Sounds Off on the Luka Trade by Mavericks
Nobody on the outside has been able to make sense of this trade. Turns out, even Cuban was blindsided by it. Speaking on the Your Mom’s House podcast, he didn’t hold back. “If I had any influence…” Cuban trailed off before confirming what was already becoming painfully obvious—he’s no longer calling the shots in Dallas.
When Cuban sold his majority stake in the Mavericks, reports suggested he would still retain control over basketball decisions. But when the official press release went out? No mention of Cuban having any real authority. And then came the Dončić trade—a clear indicator that Cuban was just as powerless as the fans watching this disaster unfold.
“If I had any influence, the trade wouldn’t happen. I was just as dumbfounded as everybody else. After I sold the Mavericks, the new owner Patrick Dumont decided that ‘Ok, in Nico we trust.’ So, here we are.”
– @mcuban on Luka
(h/t @KirkSeriousFace)
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 21, 2025
“I was just as dumbfounded as everybody else,” Cuban confessed. “After I sold the Mavericks, the new owner Patrick Dumont decided that ‘Ok, in Nico we trust.’ So, here we are.”
Mavericks’ Unbelievable Freefall Since the Trade
Let’s lay out just how bad things have gotten for Dallas since they pulled the trigger on this trade:
- Anthony Davis, the supposed centerpiece of the deal, got injured in his first game as a Maverick.
- Kyrie Irving? Out for the season with a torn ACL.
- The Mavs’ injury report is so long that they were on the verge of forfeiting games.
- Fans at American Airlines Center are regularly chanting, “Fire Nico Harrison!”
The team has plummeted to 11th place in the Western Conference with a 34-37 record, barely clinging to Play-In Tournament hopes.
Meanwhile, Dončić is lighting it up in Los Angeles, propelling the Lakers up the standings and making the Mavericks’ front office look even worse with every passing game.
Unless something miraculous happens, the Mavs will be watching the playoffs from their couches while Luka thrives in purple and gold. And for Cuban? He’s left shaking his head, watching the franchise he built crumble from the sidelines. Brutal.
