Mark Cuban Says He Wasn't Part of Decision to Trade Luka as 2020 Quote Goes Viral

Five years after saying he would rather get divorced from his wife than trade Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban had to watch the franchise he once ran decide to move on from the 25-year-old superstar.

Cuban confirmed to WFAA's Ryan Osborne and Pete Freedman he wasn't involved in the Mavs' decision to trade Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a package for Anthony Davis.

In 2020, Cuban famously said you could "catch me at my lawyer's office preparing for a divorce" when describing if he had to choose between his wife or keeping Dončić on the Mavericks.

At the time of his comment, Cuban owned a controlling interest in the Mavericks. He agreed to sell a majority stake in the franchise to the Adelson and Dumont families for $3.5 billion in November 2023.

The NBA board of governors officially approved the deal the following month, with Cuban remaining on as alternate governor with a 27 percent ownership stake.

It was an odd deal at the time because it was reported Cuban was also going to retain full control of the Mavs' basketball operations. The arrangement didn't last long, as ESPN's Tim MacMahon noted in June was no longer running basketball operations.

Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News reported on Sunday that Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison had "full support" from team governor Patrick Dumont leading up to the trade and when it came time to agree to the deal.

It's hard to imagine this would've been the case if Cuban were still in charge, not just because of the quote from 2020. There aren't a lot of examples in NBA history of a team dealing away a 25-year-old superstar when the player didn't ask for a trade.

Dončić is one of only three players in NBA history with five All-NBA first-team selections before their 26th birthday. Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan are the others.

Cuban had a history of being loyal to superstar players, particularly Dirk Nowitzki. He wouldn't part with him in 2004 when the opportunity to acquire Shaquille O'Neal from the Lakers presented itself.

When the Mavs went through a down period in the final years of Nowitzki's career, the German superstar remained a fixture in Dallas until he finally retired after the 2018-19 season.

Dončić ended his run in Dallas with five All-NBA first-team selections, five top-eight MVP finishes and an appearance in the NBA Finals last season.