Mark Cuban reveals what the Mavericks failed to realize about Luka Doncic before trade

The minority owner of the Mavs continues his "I didn't do it" tour.

Jan 15, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (right) and Mark Cuban (left) argue a call during the second half of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mark Cuban continues to take stances against the now infamous Luka Doncic trade. Because he is no longer the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, he doesn't have any say in the decision-making process, and he's making it known that he would not have made this trade.

Cuban's latest appearance comes with Stephen A. Smith, where he responded to the claims that Doncic was overweight and out of shape.

READ MORE: Anthony Davis drops surprising quote about upcoming Mavericks-Lakers game

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) passes the ball in the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"Everybody saw him. It wasn’t like he was ripped and had a six-pack but what the biggest mistake was in trying to understand Luka is that he’s from the Balkans, he’s Slovenian. And you look at Nikola Jokic, who’s Serbian, and you look at Serbian players in general, they’re just a different mindset. They look at the game differently, they look at life differently, the guys that I’ve gotten to know from that from that region of the world are different and I think that was what was not considered as fully as it should have been."

Doncic also never got a chance to fully recover from last year's postseason injuries. He went directly into preparing for the Olympics, and while Slovenia didn't qualify, he didn't get enough time to let the ailments heal, and that carried over to the preseason when he strained his calf again. He then entered the season overweight, had to work through other injuries and get back into shape, and by then, Nico Harrison was ready to get rid of him.

Cuban has said he would not have made the trade if he was still the owner. But he also deserves some of the blame for selling the team in the first place, and for not getting a guaranteed role with the team in writing, and instead trying to take the word of the new owners.

READ MORE: Mavericks' Jason Kidd on what he expects from Luka Doncic's first game back in Dallas

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