Those holding out hope that the Mavericks will erase any reminders of the heavily debated Luka Doncic trade might be in for a long wait.
Mark Cuban, a minority owner of the Mavericks, recently mentioned in an interview that the team has no intention of trading Anthony Davis this season.
“We don’t do that,” Cuban stated, adding that the team’s focus is on winning. After all, he used to be the majority owner and is still involved in the organization.
Cuban confirmed that he now serves as an “advisor” to team governor Patrick Dumont, who ultimately makes all the final decisions. He stepped back from daily basketball operations when the Adelson family bought a controlling stake in the team in 2023.
The Mavericks recently let go of Nico Harrison, who was responsible for the decision to trade Doncic to the Lakers last February. This occurred after a rocky start to the current season. In the wake of Harrison’s departure, assistant GMs Michael Finley and Matt Ricciardi are temporarily handling basketball operations.
Interestingly, Cuban had previously urged Harrison not to execute the trade since it was already in motion.
Reflecting on the trade a month later, Cuban shared with WFAA that he felt the team could have done better. “If the Mavs are going to trade Luka, that’s a different thing,” he said. “We should have gotten a better deal. I still strongly believe that if we had gotten four defenseless number ones and Anthony Davis and Max Christie, things would have been different.”
This isn’t the first instance of disagreement between Cuban and Harrison. Reports indicate that Harrison had previously critiqued Cuban over the 2022 move of guard Jalen Brunson from Dallas to the Knicks.
As for Davis, he hasn’t played since October 29 due to a calf strain. Coach Harrison mentioned this injury before the medical staff intervened, even as he hoped to have Davis back on the court sooner.
Notably, Davis has averaged 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds over his last five games.
