It doesn’t take much during the dog days of the NBA’s offseason to create discourse among Dallas Mavericks fans.
On the DLLS Mavs podcast Tuesday, Mavericks minority shareholder Mark Cuban discussed his decision to sell his majority stake to Miriam Adelson in 2023; his relationship with governor Patrick Dumont and the new leadership team; and his early expectations for next season, among other topics.
Cuban admitted he wishes he opened the sale process to more potential buyers.
“I don’t regret selling the team. I regret how I did it,” Cuban said. “Would I still have sold the team? Yes, for all the same reasons I’ve said a million times. Would I do it the same way? Absolutely not.”
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What would he change?
“I would’ve put it out to bid. But I didn’t, so it doesn’t matter.”
Cuban also revealed he emailed NBA commissioner Adam Silver in October 2022 – more than a year before the sale was finalized – to inform him of his intent to sell.
The Mavericks have undergone significant leadership changes since Cuban’s decision, especially in business operations. Rick Welts replaced Cynt Marshall as CEO in January, and the team recently named Ethan Casson its new president.
Cuban said he communicates regularly with Dumont, Welts and Casson but didn’t mention one prominent member of the front office: general manager Nico Harrison. When asked if he had the same level of communication with Harrison as with Welts and Casson, Cuban said no and did not elaborate.
Since the sale, Luka Doncic is no longer a Maverick, Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are the team’s cornerstone superstars, and Dallas has a potential prodigy on its hands in No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.
Cuban lauded Flagg’s upside, citing his versatility on both sides of the floor and his youthfulness as an asset that could keep him in a Mavericks jersey for many years to come. That longevity, combined with winning, is the recipe for reclaiming fans who turned away from the franchise following the Doncic trade.
“The basketball Gods were looking down on us, and Coop’s the real deal,” Cuban said. “He’s not even 19 years old. He could literally, depending on science, play for the Mavs for 25 years. I’m guessing if we do well and win, [those fans’] sentiments will change.”
He also placed heavy expectations on the Mavericks to prioritize using Dereck Lively II and Anthony Davis as perimeter shooters.
The Mavericks have several traditional big men who play closer to the rim, including Lively, Daniel Gafford and Dwight Powell. Davis hasn’t finished a season shooting over 30% from 3 since the Lakers’ championship season in 2019-20. Lively has only one career field goal from beyond the arc, which notably occurred in Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
“I literally think our season will go as well as D-Live and AD shooting 3s,” Cuban said. “I think [Lively’s] going to get the green light.”
The Mavericks begin training camp in Vancouver on Sept. 30 and open the regular season at home against San Antonio on Oct. 22.
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