Mark Cuban once ran the Dallas Mavericks and understood just how valuable Luka Doncic was to the franchise, even famously saying he’d rather divorce his wife than trade the Slovenian superstar.
But those days are over. After selling his majority stake in 2023, Cuban is now in an unfamiliar position of watching decisions unfold without having the final say. So when arguably the biggest trade in recent memory involving Doncic and Anthony Davis began taking shape, Cuban found himself on the outside looking in.
But even in a reduced role, Cuban reportedly tried to intervene, hoping to persuade Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison to back out of the deal sending Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. But by that point, the deal was already in motion.
Per Bleacher Report:
“By the time Cuban found out about the Luka-for-AD trade, it was too late,” Stein wrote. “[Patrick] Dumont never approached for advice. Sources say Cuban urged Harrison not to go ahead with the swap … only to find out that the deal had already been sealed with the Lakers by verbal handshake.”
