Mark Cuban immediately told Dallas Mavericks owners trading Luka Doncic was a mistake

For most of the 21st century, Mark Cuban has been as synonymous with the Dallas Mavericks as anyone other than Dirk Nowitzki. The billionaire owned a majority stake in the franchise for 23 years, but the brand of loyalty he built during that time crumbled spectacularly right after he sold.
In a shocking turn of events, GM Nico Harrison managed to convince new owner Patrick Dumont that trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers was a smart move. The deal has received immense backlash since, and Cuban recently revealed that he instantly told his successor it was a mistake.
RELATED: Mark Cuban reveals his only regret about selling the Mavericks
Mark Cuban says Nico Harrison called him about the Luka-AD trade after it was already done:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 12, 2025
“I get a text from Nico or maybe he called me, and I called him back, and I thought he was asking me, what do you think about this? And then I realized he was telling me that this was… pic.twitter.com/WtYophKzbs
“I get a text from Nico, or maybe he called me, and I called him back. And I thought he was asking me, you know, ‘What do you think about this?’ Then I realized, he was telling me, that this was done," Cuban said on the Road Trippin Podcast.
"Obviously, I was not happy at all. And then I called the owner, Patrick, and I'm like, "What?", and he gave me, basically what Nico told him and I was like, this is gonna be a mistake.”
Luka is fresh off an offseason where he looks more in shape than he has since his sophomore season. He impressed for Slovenia in EuroBasket, and it would be hard to say he wasn't the best player at the tournament. With the Los Angeles Lakers gearing up for a big 2025-26 NBA season, Cuban's words are more than likely to be prophetic.
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