Mark Cuban says Jason Kidd was part of decision to trade Luka Doncic

The one-year anniversary of the Luka Doncic trade has already passed, but Nico Harrison’s controversial decision that led to his firing remains a lasting topic of conversation.

Mark Cuban spoke about the stunning transaction on Tuesday’s episode of Intersections, a podcast hosted by former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and entrepreneur Kyle Waldrep.

Cuban recalled the night of Feb. 1, 2025, when Harrison informed him of the trade to acquire Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a future-first round pick for Doncic. After that phone call, the Mavericks minority shareholder said he called team governor Patrick Dumont.

“He started telling me stuff that wasn’t true that he had been told as the reason why he approved it,” Cuban said. “I’m like, ‘That’s not true. This is a mistake. But nothing I can do. Here’s how you spin it positively as best as you can.’”

In the aftermath of the trade, several reports surfaced citing Doncic’s suboptimal conditioning and off-court habits, such as drinking beer and smoking hookah, as contributing factors to his departure from Dallas, where he spent 6.5 seasons as the face of the Mavericks.

“I don’t care if he’s overweight, he’s gonna give you 30 [points], 10 [rebounds] and 10 [assists] and win the game,” Cuban said. “That’s what made Luka special.”

Doncic is having an MVP-worthy season, his first full one with the Lakers, averaging 33.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists for a team sitting firmly as the third seed in the Western Conference.

“You don’t trade that,” Cuban added. “I think some people got in their feelings. All I’ll tell you is, it wasn’t Michael Finley, and you can surmise who else was in the room.”

Cuban’s comment absolved involvement in the unpopular decision for Finley, who has served as co-interim general manager since Harrison’s firing, but he pointed the finger at Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who, like Harrison, had a longstanding relationship with Davis. Kidd has said since the trade that he wasn’t aware it was happening until the “11th hour.”

“That doesn’t justify it for our coach and our general manager to stand up and trade our best player,” Cuban said on the podcast.

Cuban also said he thought there was animosity between Harrison and Doncic’s agent, Bill Duffy, and others who work with the six-time All-Star.

“I don’t think they got along,” Cuban said.

In a clip from the interview released Monday, Cuban said he made a mistake selling the franchise to Dumont and his mother-in-law, majority shareholder Miriam Adelson.

“I don’t regret selling. I regret who I sold to,” Cuban said. “I made a lot of mistakes in the process, and I’ll leave it at that.”

Doncic and the Lakers will make their second and final return to American Airlines Center this season Sunday.

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.