Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban made an appearance on Friday’s episode of the “Stephen A. Smith” show, where he weighed in on the headline-grabbing, blockbuster deal that sent franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers in exchange for a package headlined by Anthony Davis.
The trade sent shockwaves through the league, especially given Doncic’s status as a generational player despite being injured at the time, and Davis being six years older. Mavericks GM Nico Harrison defended the move by pointing to the team’s need for improved defense — an area where Doncic wasn’t exactly known to shine.
With Anthony Davis now teaming up with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in Dallas’ frontcourt, Mark Cuban told Smith the trio made up the “best big three in the NBA.”
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“Nico decided that defense wins championships, and they thought that Anthony Davis would be a better anchor for our defense,” Cuban said (24:08 mark). “And look, you know, the truth is, between AD, Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford, that’s the best big three in the NBA.”
After the deal, the Mavericks were hit hard by a wave of injuries — including Davis himself and star guard Kyrie Irving. Still, with Davis on the court, the Mavs went 5-1 in six games. During that span, Davis averaged 19.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
Mark Cuban opens up about losing basketball ops control after Mavericks sale
When Mark Cuban sold the Mavericks to the Adelson and Dumont families, it was initially expected he’d stay involved in basketball operations. But once the deal closed, that role never materialized.
Cuban told Smith that the agreement was nothing more than a “handshake” and ultimately didn’t make it into the official paperwork.
“It was a handshake agreement and … I tried to put it in the contract. Actually, the NBA said no. They said basically it’s between you and the new ownership, and … they went in their direction.” (22:48 mark)
Smith then asked if Doncic would still be in Dallas if Cuban had stayed in charge of basketball decisions, to which Cuban responded:
“I think he’s here. Yeah.”
Mark Cuban also said he never would’ve pulled the trigger on trading Doncic and shared that GM Nico Harrison only called him after the deal was already finalized.
“I was like, ‘You’re asking me, right? This isn’t done,’” Cuban recalled the conversation with Harrison going. “He was like, ‘No, it’s done.’ And I was like, ‘Okay.’ You know, nothing more to talk about.
“I wouldn’t have done this. And, you know, thanks for giving me the call.”
Since the trade, the Mavericks have struggled, falling to 38-40 with various injuries but still clinging to the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Lakers have surged, climbing to third place at 47-30 as of Friday.
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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro
