Mark Cuban would have never even thought about trading Luka Doncic. That is something he has confirmed in his own words. However, after selling his majority stake, it wasn’t in his hands. The fact that he wanted more control even after selling his majority stake is also a stated fact. Cuban never wanted to submit his influence on making basketball decisions. However, even his eventual sidelining takes a sidestep after the latest revelation.

“When I did the deal, the presumption was that I would still be running basketball. And we tried to put it in the contract, but the NBA said the governor is the governor and they make all final decision,” he had revealed. They went to the NBA Finals, so Cuban let the team run as it is. Little did he know that him separating himself led to the worst possible outcome. The Mavericks lost their best player in the Anthony Davis trade, and Cuban has squarely blamed the person responsible without naming them squarely.

“Some things that happened internally where, you know, the person who traded Luka didn’t want me there. And so they won. I lost,” Cuban said on the All-In podcast.

That confession came as a major surprise. However, in 2021, it was Cuban himself who hired him to be the President of Basketball Operations. At that time, surely he wouldn’t have imagined the person who directly reported to him would not want him in team-making decisions.

In the end, all Cuban got during the Luka Doncic trade was an alert from Harrison. But he had lost the power to take important calls. For the fans, the only solution appears to be looking ahead rather than at what has already happened. The Mavericks have a new star to enshrine, and will the team actually looks to have potential despite Kyrie Irving’s injury.

A fresh start for the Mavericks

From the moment they traded Luka Doncic, the building collapsed upon itself. Harrison of course, was in the firing line. He had to up his security as ‘Fire Nico’ chants caught hold of the American Airlines Center. Harrison though prioritized his “defense wins championships” philosophy.

It didn’t immediately pay off. The Mavericks plummeted after they let Doncic go and AD suffered an injury in his opening game. However, that ultimately set them up in ‘Cooper Flagg’ territory. His inclusion provides the dynamic Harrison envisioned. While it will be ironic to give the team’s GM credit for that, it did result in Cooper Flagg arriving to Dallas.

A generational prospect from Duke, Flagg is sublime on both sides of the floor. A modern-day forward, he is expected to have a significant role, especially until Irving returns. Organically getting such a talent has made the Mavericks a terrifying team when healthy.

They have great depth to help manage any injuries that might come in the future. Flagg can also play multiple positions and is naturally gritty. Him and Anthony Davis in the frontcourt is already being sung as a successful duo. Add to the equation the scoring expertise of KAI, and the Mavericks are formidable.

Despite being thrown out of his duties, Cuban is still all for the team. “That’s in the past. I’m still hardcore Mavs MFL,” he said. And even though he doesn’t see his golden child on the team, Dallas is a silent contender. As for trading Luka Doncic, Harrison doesn’t carry any regrets. He initially asked for some time for the move to settle in.

With what the Mavericks got out of the situation, it might not take long for them to regain their fans’ trust. Still, after Cuban’s confession, it seems unlikely that they will ever forgive Nico Harrison.