The Dallas Mavericks are facing a crisis of confidence after the shocking trade of Luka Doncic and the fallout from Mark Cuban’s decision to sell his majority stake in the franchise. It’s been chaos ever since, with fans furious and protests breaking out both inside and outside the American Airlines Center.
The situation began unraveling when Cuban sold his majority stake to Patrick Dumont and the Adelson family in November 2023. At the time, Cuban assured fans he would continue to oversee basketball operations. But as he recently admitted on Facebook, that promise was more hopeful than contractual.
“I fully expected to run basketball. The NBA wouldn’t let me put it in the contract. They took it out. I thought [the Adelsons] would stick to their word because they didn’t know the first thing about running a team. Someone obviously changed their mind,” Cuban wrote.
His comments reveal a major disconnect between his expectations and the reality of his reduced influence. While Cuban still holds a minority share and maintains a presence at games, his control over basketball operations is virtually nonexistent. The fallout from the deal has led to widespread frustration aimed at both Cuban and general manager Nico Harrison.
Harrison, who has now taken full control of the team’s direction, made the blockbuster decision to trade Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. The move blindsided the fanbase, leaving many questioning the logic of trading away their franchise cornerstone. According to Harrison, the decision was made with the full support of team governor Patrick Dumont.
Harrison explained to the Dallas Morning News that the trade was a strategic move aimed at long-term success. The Mavericks wanted to get ahead of the curve, especially with Doncic approaching eligibility for a supermax contract and holding an opt-out clause in his deal for the following year. In Harrison’s eyes, moving Doncic now would allow the Mavericks to rebuild and position themselves better for the future.
But the fans aren’t buying it. For them, seeing Doncic in a Lakers jersey feels like betrayal. Many blame Cuban for selling the team and Harrison for pulling the trigger on the trade. The organization has a lot of work to do to regain the trust of its fanbase.
The Mavericks will need to rebuild their credibility and their roster. As of now, the only certainty in Dallas is that the road back to respectability will be a long and difficult one.
