Mark Cuban initially thought Nico Harrison was asking for input on possible Luka Doncic trade: ‘Then I realized’

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

When news leaked about the Dallas Mavericks trading star guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this season, Mavs part-owner Mark Cuban only knew a few minutes before everyone else, he revealed earlier this month.

Now, he has offered more details about how he learned of the trade, explaining that he was notified via text message by Mavs general manager Nico Harrison.

Cuban was the majority owner of the Mavs for two decades.

“I was in Florida at a conference, and I don’t know, 11 at night or whatever it was…I get a text, and it was from our general manager,” Cuban began. “And I thought he was asking me what I thought, and then I realized very quickly he was telling me what happened. And I told him I didn’t agree with it and da da da da da and various reasons, but wasn’t my decision to make.”

The Doncic trade was so stunning that many people were hesitant to believe it at first. That might have been the case for Cuban, or the wording of Harrison’s text message might have simply thrown him off.

In the end, Doncic landed with the Lakers as part of a deal that sent star big man Anthony Davis to the Mavs.

Since the trade happened, Dallas has endured a brutal stretch, suffering season-altering injuries and falling out of the postseason picture (playoff or play-in) in the Western Conference. Amid the chaos, the franchise has had to deal with backlash from fans.

Meanwhile, over in Los Angeles, Doncic has made his presence felt with the Lakers. In 16 games with his new team, he has averaged 26.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists per contest. His shooting marks (40.5 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from deep) have left a little something to be desired, but that likely isn’t a big concern for L.A. right now.

After creeping up to second place in the West, the Lakers are currently in third and two games back of the No. 2 spot. There is still time for them to try to nab that seed before the regular season ends. They have 13 games remaining before the playoffs.

It’s too early to call the trade an objective failure for the Mavs, but the early returns certainly haven’t been good. Since this looks like a lost season for Dallas, there will be some pressure on the franchise to put a better product on the floor in the 2025-26 campaign in order to avoid further trouble with fans.