Mark Cuban makes surprising statement on Mavericks' GM Nico Harrison

Cuban might be changing his tune on Nico Harrison.

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

The Dallas Mavericks are still moving on from the infamous Luka Doncic trade nearly half a year after the deal went down. It's been a little easier for the Mavericks to pick up the pieces in the wake of landing former Duke star Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, pairing a top talent with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, who are both recovering from injuries.

This probably isn't the direction that Mark Cuban expected the franchise to go after selling his majority stake in 2023. Cuban even told general manager Nico Harrison that he didn't agree with the decision to trade Doncic back in February.

READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving stunned by infamous LeBron James ‘father’ question

Apr 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban looks on during the second half against the Toronto Raptors at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Now that plenty of time has passed, Cuban appears to have changed up his tune. In a recent interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, he reflected on some of the unpopular moves he made when running the Mavericks. Cuban understands that everything is deeper than how it appears at the surface.

"Trades are trades. I let Steve Nash go, and the whole town hated my ass for a long time. [Nash] goes and wins two MVPs and I got nothing back for him," Cuban said.

"Not every decision is one everyone's going to agree with, but there's a lot more to being a general manager," Cuban added. "Particularly now with the new CBA and the second apron, trying to put together a team and being able to keep together a team is a lot harder."

Cuban went on to credit Harrison for getting a few key extensions done before the cap rises. The Mavericks re-signed Irving and big man Daniel Gafford to new deals earlier this summer. It's possible the team gets something done with P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II as well.

Jun 27, 2025; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison speaks to the media at the Dallas Mavericks Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"You saw what OKC did, which was smart. They signed all those guys now, and people are like 'How could you sign all these guys to money?' Well, they signed them now because the cap is the lowest it's going to be for a while, and they know it's going to go up 10% a year, so it kind of positions them well," Cuban said.

"Nico's done the same thing. We've got guys -- everybody but P.J. [Washington]'s on an extended contract. So we're going to keep on having more and more room because those contracts are locked in."

Time apparently heals all, and a No. 1 draft pick doesn't hurt either.

Regardless, the Mavericks are in a much better spot than where they were a few months ago.

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