Mavericks’ Mark Cuban recalls what Nico Harrison told him when he made Luka Doncic trade

The Dallas Mavericks reopened an old wound this week when Mark Cuban reflected on the Luka Doncic trade that changed everything. The decision sent shockwaves across the NBA and delivered Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Cuban revealed the moment Nico Harrison reached out with the news. Under the stadium lights of memory, the feeling still lingers. Mavericks fans remember the pause. The disbelief. One message that rewrote history.

Cuban spoke with Marc Stein of The Stein Line and described where he was when the call came. He was not in a war room. He was at a business conference in Florida. A drink in hand. Then his phone buzzed. “His words were: ‘Of all the calls, this one was the hardest to make MC,’” Cuban recalled. “And that’s when I said: ‘Wait. So you’re saying it’s done?’ And the rest is history.”

That history still echoes through the Mavericks. The deal sent Doncic to the Lakers and closed one era in an instant. Cuban, who once built the team around the superstar, was no longer steering basketball decisions when it happened.

One year later, Mavericks face regret and reflection

Mark Cuban did not hide his feelings about the trade. He called it a mistake and wished he had been consulted first. “It was a mistake and I wish they would have spoken to me first. I’m happy for Luka. And I’m happy for Mavs fans that we’ve got Coop, even though I recognize that we all still miss Luka. The people responsible for that [deal] are for the most part gone, which I think was necessary.”

Those words still carry weight. Cuban remains with the Mavericks, but the power had already shifted. Nico Harrison moved ahead with new ownership, leaving Cuban outside the decision.

For fans, the wound never closed. Every Luka Doncic highlight in purple and gold stings. Every rebuild move raises doubt.

One year later, the Mavericks still search for direction. The crowd wonders what might have been. Was that night a scar that haunt the Mavericks, or the start of something new under brighter lights?

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