Mark Cuban Regrets Selling His NBA Team to New Majority Owners

The Dallas Mavericks were able to achieve league-wide prominence in the 2000s and early 2010s with Mark Cuban as their controlling majority owner. The team revolutionized player development and international scouting, centering their roster around two foreign stars in Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.

Nowitzki became one of the greatest players in NBA history while spending his entire career with the Mavericks, a relationship between team and player that was extremely important to both Cuban and the Mavericks fanbase.

Dallas seemed primed to enjoy another transcendent European superstar for multiple decades in Luka Doncic, but an unfathomable trade sent Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Following the team's continued decline after the Doncic trade, Cuban is expressing regret over who he elected to sell his majority shares to.

'I Made a Lot of Mistakes in the Process'

"I don't regret selling," the billionaire said during an appearance on an episode of the "Intersections" podcast. "I regret who I sold to. I made a lot of mistakes in the process, and I'll leave it at that."

Cuban sold his majority share of the team in late 2023 to Adelson and Dumont families. The Mavericks were in the middle of a successful season, one that would eventually see them reach the NBA Finals for the first time in over a decade.

Cuban, who had been a part of basketball-related decisions in the past to some extent, was pushed aside by the new ownership. He says he was blindsided by the Doncic trade in particular, and that he was shocked to hear that the new ownership approved of such a deal.

Even as a minority owner of the team, Cuban says that he was first informed of the move by former GM Nico Harrison, who called after it was finalized.

Since trading Doncic, the Mavericks have been among the worst teams in basketball. The best player they acquired for Doncic, Anthony Davis, has already been traded to another team. Kyrie Irving remains out with a knee injury and has missed the entire season, and the Mavericks will not make the playoffs this year.

Dallas was able to win the NBA's draft lottery last year, earning the top overall pick. They used that pick to take former Duke star Cooper Flagg at the top of the draft. Flagg has been one of the few bright spots for Dallas this season, and could win the Rookie of the Year award at season's end.

Cuban's 'Passion' Made it Hard to Sell

"You hear the passion and everything," Cuban said about his "emotional connection" to the Mavericks during the podcast appearance.

"Now imagine going up and down like that every single game. That's hard. My kids, they were coming of age where they would have the mindset that they want to work at the Mavs. I didn't want them to. If fans don't like what you're doing or the team's not doing well, you're the worst human being on the planet."

Doncic will continue his career with the Lakers after the monumental trade, while the Mavericks will attempt to rebuild around Flagg as he develops. Cuban's decision to sell the team ended up backfiring, and he seems to want the fanbase to know that it bothers him as much as the lack of team success bothers them.