Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban says he regrets selling the team to the Adelson and Dumont families. Cuban made the deal in December 2023, maintaining a minority share within the organization, but now says that he wishes he could take it back.
During an interview on the “Intersection” podcast Tuesday March 31, Cuban said, “I don’t regret selling,” then clarified, “I regret who I sold to. I made a lot of mistakes in the process, and I’ll leave it at that.”
At the time of the deal, Cuban was adamant that he would remain involved with the team’s basketball operations. However, that hasn’t happened. It is well-known how furious Cuban was with former GM Nico Harrison’s decision to trade away star guard Luka Doncic in February 2025. ESPN reports that Cuban was also among the people telling Dumont to fire Harrison after the deal was done.
How much did Cuban sell the Mavericks for?
The deal was for $3.5 billion. While Cuban maintains that he believed he would still be involved in basketball operations and action within the organization, there have never been reports that Cuban’s continued involvement was part of the deal for the sale.
Why did Cuban sell the team?
Cuban sold the team amid pressure to build a contender, something he didn’t believe he could do as a “middle-class billionaire.” He also believed his “emotional commitment” to the team had become too much of a burden.
Cuban said on the podcast, “You hear the passion and everything. Now imagine going up and down like that every single game. That’s hard.”
At the time of the deal, Cuban believed the real estate expertise brought by the Adelson family would be a huge boon to the team, while still keeping Cuban’s basketball savvy on for advice. Of course, the latter part of that deal never amounted to anything.
How have the Mavericks done since Cuban’s departure?
Immediately following Cuban’s sale, the Mavericks reached the NBA Finals, nearly winning their first title since 2011. Since then though, the team has struggled mightily.
That said, between trading away superstar Luka Doncic and a 24-51 record this season, the team did get rather lucky, securing the No. 1 overall pick despite only a 1.8% chance to earn that pick via the lottery and selecting Rookie of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft. Clearly though, Flagg’s presence has not led to the win totals that Harrison and company had hoped for after they traded Doncic to Los Angeles.
Furthermore, the key piece the Mavericks got in return for Doncic, forward Anthony Davis played just 29 games for Dallas before being traded to Washington at this year’s trade deadline.