2 Former Mavericks That Mark Cuban Never Wanted to Trade

There are some roster decisions with the Dallas Mavericks that Mark Cuban has regretted. Between letting Steve Nash walk in free agency, not bringing back more of the 2011 championship team, and letting Jalen Brunson go, there are plenty of things to regret.

That doesn't even include the Luka Doncic trade, which Cuban had no say in whatsoever since he was no longer in operational control of the Mavs.

However, there are a few players that Cuban revealed he never wanted to trade, but it got to the point where it made sense for the team.

“Teams go through cycles. If you know, 10-year veteran, if the team’s going young, right, there’s players, Wesley Matthews, that I never wanted to trade,” Cuban explained on Von Miller's "Free Range" show. “There’s just guys that I really liked a lot, Harrison Barnes. But if you’re going to go young and build around Luka, you got to come in and bring in younger players. And like we traded for Kristaps Porzingis. Didn’t work out the way we expected.”

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 | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Did the Mavericks Make the Right Decision Trading These Players?

Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews probably aren't players you would expect to hear about, but they were both valued veterans in the locker room.

The biggest issue is that they weren't leading to wins. They were already a few games below .500 in Luka Doncic's rookie season, and the Mavericks decided to pivot around his timeline.

Matthews was included in the massive Porzingis trade, thinking Porzingis could be the perfect fit alongside Doncic as a stretch big. Their personalities clashed, and while they made the playoffs a few times, it wouldn't be until after they traded the Latvian that they started to see real playoff success.

But just speaking on Matthews in particular, he bounced around the NBA until he retired in 2024, but he clearly wasn't as useful as he had been, even if he was a good veteran.

Jan 5, 2018; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes (40) and guard Wesley Matthews (23) wait for play to resume against the Chicago Bulls during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Bulls defeat the Mavericks 127-124. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Barnes was traded mid-game to the Sacramento Kings for Zach Randolph and Justin Jackson. Even in the moment, it looked like a lackluster return for Barnes, who had started all 49 games he had appeared in up to that point. They wanted to clear some future salary more than anything, and accomplished it with that trade.

Looking back on it, the Mavericks maybe should've hung onto him, even if he was a little expensive. As per usual, they never really did much with the cap space, and a true starting-caliber wing was hard to come by for the Mavs for the next few years. Dorian Finney-Smith was solid, but otherwise, it was players like Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Richardson, and Reggie Bullock. Barnes is better than them.

It wouldn't be until they traded for P.J. Washington that it felt like they finally had starting-quality wings again.

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