For months, the Luka Dončić trade had hovered over Dallas Mavericks like a storm cloud, an open wound that fans kept poking because nothing about it ever felt normal. Now Mavs’ minority stake owner Mark Cuban has confirmed their worst suspicions.
Mark Cuban Says He Learned of Luka Dončić Trade Too Late
On the Run Your Race TL podcast, the longtime face of the franchise said he initially believed Nico Harrison was only thinking about a blockbuster deal. Only later did he realize the trade was already sealed.
Cuban recounted, almost with disbelief, how the information reached him.
“I thought he was telling me that he’s thinking about it, then I realized it’s done. Nothing I can do, not my party,” he said. “I wasn’t happy about it, but it’s Nico’s decision and I respect it. He did what he thought was right and now we are where we are.”
He tried to give the move historical context, calling back to one of the most infamous decisions in Mavericks history: letting Steve Nash walk in 2004.
It was a disaster in the moment, yet the franchise soon reached two Finals and won the 2011 championship.
“Maybe it will be his Steve Nash, and Luka will go on to win two MVPs, I don’t know,” Cuban said. “After we traded Nash we went to the finals, then we won that finals. As long as it turns out that way, I don’t care. I love Luka to death, I love his team, I love the people around him.”
But behind the attempt at optimism was a deeper tension. According to ESPN the Dončić trade was the climax of a months-long tug-of-war involving Harrison, minority owner Cuban, and majority owner Patrick Dumont.
Even after selling control of the team to the Adelson family in December 2023 for about $3.5 billion, Cuban believed he still oversaw basketball decisions.
Instead, he found himself learning about the Dončić trade at the same time as the public. In recent weeks, he had reportedly been restored to the circle of trust and was even pushing for Dumont to fire the executive he had hired back in 2021.
Mavericks Coping With a Disappointing Season Start
Harrison’s firing on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, felt like both a shock and an inevitability. The Mavericks’ sluggish start ( now 4-11) created a crisis atmosphere, and the lingering fury over trading Dončić made Harrison the focal point of fan anger.
For many, he had become the man who pushed for the Dončić decision, a label that only grew heavier as the losses piled up.
Now Dallas faces a crossroads. Dončić is no longer with the team, Anthony Davis is grappling with injuries, and Cooper Flagg is still in development. The front office is in flux, and a once-stable franchise is suddenly searching for identity.
Their next chance to reset comes Wednesday, November 19, when they face the New York Knicks.
