Mark Cuban Reveals Miscommunication With Nico Harrison That Left Him 'Not Happy' Over Luka Doncic Trade As Ex-GM Calls Him Out For Another Star Deal

Mark Cuban Reveals Miscommunication With Nico Harrison That Left Him
Mark Cuban Reveals Miscommunication With Nico Harrison That Left Him 'Not Happy' Over Luka Doncic Trade As Ex-GM Calls Him Out For Another Star Deal (Image sources: Getty and Imagn)

Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban shared his side of the story about how he found out that Luka Doncic had been traded to the LA Lakers.

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Cuban's comments came after former Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison threw him under the bus for orchestrating bad deals. According to an ESPN article on Wednesday, Harrison blamed Cuban for the departures of New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson and forward Christian Wood.

In an episode of "Run Your Race Podcast" on Thursday, Cuban was asked about the day the blockbuster Doncic trade happened. Cuban said he could not do anything when Harrison reached out to him.

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"I’m at an event in Florida," Cuban said. "I get a text from Nico: 'Call me.' I’m like, OK. I thought he was telling me that he’s thinking about it, then I realized it was done. And then it’s like, nothing I can do, not my party, I wasn’t happy about it. But it’s Nico’s decision, I respect it. He did what he thought was right. And now, we are where we are.
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"That’s in the past. Maybe it’ll be his Steve Nash, and maybe Luka will go on to win two MVPs. After we traded Nash, we went to the Finals and then we won the Finals. So as long as it turns out that way, I don’t care."
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Doncic is off to a hot start with the Lakers, who are No. 4 in the Western Conference with an 11-4 record. The Mavericks, meanwhile, have been struggling early this season. Entering Thursday, they held the conference’s third-worst record at 4-12.

Nico Harrison reportedly blamed Mark Cuban for bad decisions

According to an ESPN article by Tim MacMahon on Wednesday, Nico Harrison, who was fired earlier this month, had blamed Cuban for the departures of several key players.

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"Harrison blamed Cuban for what he believed were the Mavs’ biggest personnel mistakes during his tenure, which came in summer 2022: allowing Jalen Brunson to get away in free agency and trading for Christian Wood, a player (Jason) Kidd didn’t want to coach and resented having on the roster," MacMahon wrote.
"Several members of the coaching staff and front office also faulted Cuban for those moves."
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When Cuban sold his majority stake in the Mavericks, he was reportedly expected to maintain control over basketball operations. However, Cuban previously claimed he was pushed out of the picture by Harrison, saying that he "freezed him out after the sale." The former GM has since drawn backlash from Mavericks fans for trading their beloved franchise star.

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix said on Nov. 13 that Cuban is "back at the table" following Harrison's firing. Mannix said the Mavericks’ brass expects radical roster changes with Cuban now back in the fold.

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Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos
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