Mark Cuban admits Mavericks mistake, but gives shocking Nico Harrison statement

When Mark Cuban sold his majority share of the Dallas Mavericks, the expectation was for him to stay on as the team governor or have some form of operational control, as he still held about a 27% stake in the team.

However, something got lost in translation, and Cuban no longer had any operational control once the sale was finalized. One thing leads to another, and the next thing you know, Nico Harrison is trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Cuban recently appeared on the "All In" podcast, where he admitted a mistake in the transaction and then gave a surprising statement about the team's general manager.

Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban on why he was not able to retain control of basketball operations when he sold the team:

“…some things happened internally and the person [Nico Harrison] who traded Luka [Dončić] didn’t want me there.” #MFFL

(🎥: @theallinpod) pic.twitter.com/0eUpgOUXfC
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) September 10, 2025

"Yeah, I f--d up," Cuban admitted. "When I did the deal, the presumption was that I would still be running basketball operations, and we tried to put it in the contract, but the NBA said the governor is the governor, and they make all final decisions. I was still involved, and then we went on that run to the Finals.

"Rather than trying to interject myself all the time, I thought, ‘I don’t want to get in the way. We’re rolling.’ But that was a mistake. Some things happened internally where the person who traded Luka didn’t want me there, and so they won. I lost. That’s in the past. I’m still hardcore Mavs."

Nov 6, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban during the game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Fallout From the Luka Doncic Trade Could've Been Severe

Understandably, Mavericks fans were irate after the trade. There were protests in and around the American Airlines Center, "Fire Nico" chants raining around Dallas, and a lot of fans gave up their Mavs fandom entirely. And no one could blame them.

If it wasn't apparent then, it was clear when Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers came to the AAC in April, and the crowd was rooting more for Doncic than they were for the Mavs. And Doncic put on a show, putting up 45 points in front of the fanbase who loves him the most.

Had Cuban still retained operational control, there's no doubt that Doncic would still be on the team with a supermax contract in hand, and Harrison may have been fired if he even suggested that trade to Cuban. Cooper Flagg is saving the franchise from a lot of grief right now, but there is a lot of pressure on this team to be successful right away,

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