If I had to choose between my wife and Doncic

If I had to choose between my wife and Luka Doncic staying with the Mavericks, you’d find me in my lawyer’s office preparing the divorce papers .” Mark Cuban’s phrase has been circulating more than ever in the hours following the Slovenian star’s departure from what has been his only NBA team until now. The point guard is already in Los Angeles and the stupefaction has gone through phases: from Dirk Nowitzki’s surprised face on social network X to Magic Johnson’s blessing via the same channel. All of this, with the constant and permanent reaction of everyone within the world of basketball: fans, journalists, analysts, and players. The common denominator has been the surprise shown and commented on by all those who have been asked about a movement that is already considered one of the biggest transfers in history. Rarely has a player of such magnitude arrived at a franchise of such magnitude. And even less so in his prime, at 25 years old (he will turn 26 in a month) and after having played in the Finals a few months earlier.

The context is bigger and what we know is what we can tell: Nico Harrison, general manager, has vaguely and implausibly justified Doncic’s departure (the money they should have paid him in the summer, his physical form, his culture…). But we cannot forget that the manager is just an employee of a much larger ecosystem… in which Mark Cuban is no longer the boss. At the end of 2023, Patrick Dumont and the Adelson family (linked to the betting houses) bought the majority of the franchise’s shares and Cuban was left with a minority stake and much less influence in the entity’s dealings. What’s more, he is no longer involved in the Mavericks’ basketball operations. And the decision to transfer Doncic seems arbitrary and completely alien to the rich manager, who has a very particular modus operandi (relationship with the players, seat next to the bench) that made him particularly famous. But also a very great loyalty to his favorite players.

On January 4, 2000, Cuban bought the majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA for $285 million from H. Ross Perot, bringing the franchise to a value of 4.5 billion today. During his career, he secured Dirk Nowitzki’s stay in the club, making him the biggest European star ever until the arrival of the current generation (Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo…) and surrounding him with players, making him the system and a reference point for the culture of the Texan city. With the German, the Mavs reached the 2006 Finals and won the 2011 ring. And, in 2018, they achieved the miracle of acquiring Luka Doncic in the draft, with a trade that same night that sent Trae Young to the Hawks. Something that foreshadowed a new era for the franchise, at least as successful as the previous one. However, everything has come crashing down with a major surprise that has ended the Slovenian star’s stay in a team that with Cuban boasted of taking care of its heroes. But that no longer has Cuban as captain of a ship that is now swimming through uncertain waters.

 

READ ALSO: There will be a lot of Marquez up there in 2025

 

It should be remembered that there was a very similar situation, but in reverse, more than 20 years ago when the director was the main owner and had all the power. In the summer of 2004, a decaying Lakers team that had just lost the Finals against the Pistons was looking for an exit for Shaquille O’Neal, whose relationship with Kobe Bryant was already completely broken. On that occasion, it was the Los Angeles team that contacted the Mavericks to offer the center, for which they asked for Nowitzki in exchange. The German was not yet the player he would become later, but Cuban was blunt in his refusal: he was his favorite star and was untransferable. Something that he maintained with Doncic when the Slovenian arrived at the Mavericks… and that Patrick Dumont and the Adelson family do not share (obviously). All this, regardless of what may have happened between the point guard and the top brass of the club. Meanwhile, Doncic is in Los Angeles and Mark Cuban’s phrase resonates in the background. No wonder