The NBA world has spent the day reeling over the shocking trade that sent Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The main question that has emerged has been why: Why did the Mavericks trade away the face of their franchise in exchange for Anthony Davis? But the second question has been who — as in, who can Mavericks fans blame for this decision?
Well, it’s not Mark Cuban. Cuban, the former controlling owner of the franchise, confirmed to local Dallas station WFAA that he was not involved in the deal.
Cuban, who bought the team in 2000, sold his majority stake in 2023. The sale gave control of the franchise to the family of Miriam Adelson, who run the Las Vegas Sands casino company.
Cuban, 65, has stayed on as a minority owner, but does not participate in day-to-day basketball operations. Still, he has been very involved in the team, appearing on the sidelines throughout the team’s 2024 NBA Playoff run.
Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, the real driving force behind the trade, told the Dallas Morning News that team governor Patrick Dumont, Adelson’s son-in-law, gave his support for the move in the weeks leading up to it.
Harrison defended sending Dončić to the Lakers after the trade, saying that it would lead to the short- and long-term success of the team. He added that the move was partially in anticipation of the upcoming summer, when Dončić would have been eligible for a supermax extension.
“We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract,” Harrison said. “And so we really felt like we got out in front of that.”
