Mark Cuban says he was not involved in decision to trade Luka Doncic to Lakers

After once saying he'd choose Doncic on the Mavs over his wife, Cuban had nothing to do with Saturday night's stunner.

Apr 21, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) laughs with owner Mark Cuban after the game against the Detroit Pistons at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks made the most jarring trade in NBA history on Saturday night/Sunday morning, sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers for a package that includes Anthony Davis. It's one of those moves where everyone will remember where they were when that notification from Shams Charania came through, wondering if he was hacked and if the trade was legitimate.

After the trade was official, Dallas fans started wondering why, how, and if this would ever happened under former owner Mark Cuban.

Cuban sold his majority share of the team a little over a year ago to the Adelson family, and while there was a time when they thought Cuban would still have some say in the personnel decisions, that didn't end up happening, despite his minority share in the team.

In fact, Cuban confirmed to WFAA, Dallas' local ABC station, that he was not involved in the call that sent Doncic to the Lakers and Davis to the Mavericks. And now, an old quote from Cuban is resurfacing and has aged pretty poorly.

Who among Dallas Mavericks leadership was behind the decision to trade Luka Doncic? Mark Cuban -- who once said he'd sooner divorce his wife than let Doncic go to another NBA franchise -- confirmed to WFAA that he wasn't involved in the call. https://t.co/VGG1AxIsoT

— WFAA (@wfaa) February 2, 2025

READ MORE: BREAKING: Luka Doncic shockingly traded to the Lakers for Anthony Davis

Mark Cuban looks on during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Cuban said in 2020 when asked how far he'd go to keep Doncic in Dallas, "If I had to choose between my wife and keeping Luka on the Mavs, catch me at my lawyer's office prepping for a divorce." Cuban always went the extra mile to try and acquire star talent whenever possible and did whatever it took to keep his current stars happy in Dallas.

For him to sell the team and trade Doncic, one of the three best players in the world, within a year has to sting for Cuban, at least a little bit. He hasn't made his stance on the trade known yet, but he was just publicly calling out the NBA after Doncic and Kyrie Irving weren't selected for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game a few days ago.

This decision strictly came down to General Manager Nico Harrison, who had "full support" from the new ownership group. There were some long-term concerns about Doncic's conditioning, but they've just lit a fire under a 25-year-old who has made a career out of embarrassing people in high-pressure moments.

READ MORE: Kevin Durant calls out Mavericks after shocking Luka Doncic-Lakers trade

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