Mark Cuban says how 'painful' it is with Luka Doncic on Lakers instead of Mavericks

Weird, Mark Cuban, it's almost like you can be blamed for the mess the Mavericks are in.

Oct 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are a mess of an organization right now. After entering the season with championship expectations, they're 2-7 with losses to the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies, among others, and are an open Aaron Nesmith three-pointer at the buzzer away from 1-8. And it's all because Luka Doncic is on another team.

About nine months ago, Nico Harrison made the idiotic decision to trade Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and only got an old Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and just one first-round pick in return. It was bashed at the time, and everyone continues to not understand how someone could make a move this bad. It is, without a doubt, the worst trade in NBA history, and probably the worst trade in sports history.

And none of this would have happened if Mark Cuban hadn't sold the team, or if he had actually still kept some sort of operational control, like was originally the plan. He recently appeared on the "Stephen A. Smith Show," where he was asked what it's like watching Luka Doncic on another team.

"I'm happy for Luka, because he's a great guy, he's just a really special human being, his family is great," Cuban said. "It's painful. As a Mavs fan, and as somebody who, potentially, if I would've done a better job of just defining my role in advance, might not have happened. It hurts me, I know it kills Mavs fans everywhere, but I'm happy for Luka."

Thanks @mcuban for joining the show today!

Listen to the full interview: https://t.co/2nSFovertL@SIRIUSXM @MadDogRadio pic.twitter.com/S9tfnPgSZI

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) November 7, 2025

READ MORE: Dirk Nowitzki sends message to Cooper Flagg after Mavericks' struggles

It Should've Never Come to Luka Doncic Being on the Lakers

Mark Cuban initially tried to pass off a lot of the blame when it emerged that he had no operational control, mostly saying that the NBA didn't allow it. But that proved not to be true when Jeanie Buss sold the Lakers but retained her spot as the team's governor.

It seemed like Cuban and the Adelsons had a handshake agreement in place when the sale was made, but for some reason, he didn't get it in writing. Who knows what happened after that, but based on recent history, it's likely that Nico Harrison pulled another power play and pushed Cuban to the side as soon as he could. He did that with Casey Smith, the beloved former athletic trainer, as well as the franchise's star.

Ego has been the biggest theme of Nico Harrison's tenure, and it's going to lead to his demise shortly, but it should've never even come to this if Mark Cuban did his job correctly during the sale.

Mar 16, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Mark Cuban reacts against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

READ MORE: Mavericks exploring bold trade moves, even involving an NBA Champion

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