It appears Mark Cuban has some regrets about giving up control after selling a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks to the Adelson family for $3.5 billion in December 2023. In a recent interview, Cuban admitted he “f***ed up,” revealing that the person responsible for trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers no longer wanted him involved.
The NBA landscape was forever altered when Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and team president Patrick Dumont shipped Doncic — the face of the franchise who had just led Dallas to the NBA Finals — to Los Angeles. Harrison instantly became public enemy No. 1 among Mavericks fans, with many calling for his firing.
Cuban Regrets Giving Up Control After Mavericks Sale
Speaking on “The All-In Podcast,” Cuban explained he thought he would still oversee basketball operations after selling his majority stake.
“Yeah, I f***ed up,” Cuban said. “When I did the deal the presumption was I would still be running basketball. And we tried to put in the contract but the NBA said, ‘The governor is the governor and they make all final decisions,’” referring to Dumont, the son-in-law of Miriam Adelson.
Mark Cuban revealed that he was supposed to continue running the Mavericks after selling the team, but something happened internally
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 10, 2025
“The person who traded Luka didn’t want me there.” 👀
(🎥 @theallinpod / h/t @KevinGraySports )
pic.twitter.com/UUDwxEHGMa
Cuban admitted it was a “mistake” to step aside during such a pivotal stretch.
“Then, I was involved and then we went on this run where we went to the Finals, and rather than trying to interject myself all the time, I was like, ‘I don’t want to get in the way, we’re rolling.’ That was a mistake,” Cuban said. “There was some things that happened internally where the person who traded Luka didn’t want me there. They won, I lost.”
In a separate appearance on the “DLLS Mavs Podcast,” Cuban clarified that he doesn’t regret selling the team, only how he handled the process.
“Would I still sell the team? Yes, for all the same reasons I said a hundred times. Would I do it the same way? Absolutely not,” Cuban said, via Basketball Network. “I would’ve put it out to bid. But I didn’t, so it doesn’t matter.”
It’s clear Cuban has second thoughts about handing control to the Adelson family — and Mavericks fans share those frustrations. With Doncic shipped out in stunning fashion, Adelson, Dumont, and Harrison have torched goodwill with a loyal fan base that may take years to repair.
