Video: Mark Cuban Jokes About Luka Dončić, Lakers Trade During Bill Gates Discussion

Former Dallas Mavericks governor Mark Cuban joked about the Luka Dončić trade during a conversation with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates at an event on Friday evening.

Cuban now holds a minority share in the Mavericks and is no longer involved in day-to-day basketball operations.

He asked Gates about a "hypothetical" scenario in which Steve Ballmer (who took over for Gates as Microsoft's CEO and now owns the Los Angeles Clippers) traded Windows 11 (Dončić in this analogy) for Windows 10 (Anthony Davis).

Gates responded that he would "hide from the press."

Cuban confirmed to WFAA's Ryan Osborne and Pete Freedman he was not involved with the trade.

Mavs general manager Nico Harrison was at the forefront of the move, and the families of Dr. Miriam Adelson and Sivan and Patrick Dumont now stand as the controlling owners of the team. Cuban still has a 27 percent stake.

Cuban once joked in 2020 that he would divorce his wife before trading Dončić, so it's clear where he stands.

At any rate, the move happened. And now the Mavs are venturing into a new era. Dallas is 2-2 since dealing Dončić, with impressive victories in its last two games over the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics and the 32-20 Houston Rockets, who are fourth in the Western Conference.

Davis, who was out with an abdominal strain, made his debut for the Mavs Saturday, posting 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in a 116-105 win. Davis suffered a lower-body injury in the third quarter and didn't return, though he told reporters after the game he's "very confident" he didn't suffer a serious setback.

With Davis' status up in the air for the time being, the Mavs find themselves in a fight for the playoffs, sitting eighth in the Western Conference.