Former Dallas Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban felt bad for the Mavs and their fans for what immediately happened after he sold the team. However, Cuban insists that he does not regret letting it go because he felt it was the right time to move in another direction.
In previous interviews, Mark said he did not want his children to have the burden of running a basketball team and not to be in the same situation as he was many times in an era where social and mainstream media are tough, even for team owners.
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“I’m sorry, right. I had to do what was right for my life and my family. You think I was going to live to 137 and just run the Mavericks forever? Father Time’s undefeated. Something was going to happen at some point, no matter what. And I just wanted to do it on my own terms,” said Cuban.
He kept enough shares to run the team
According to Mark, he thought of selling the team a year before he actually did it. He revealed that he even sent a letter to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, informing the league of his intention. At that point, Cuban also did not think that the Adelsons had any intention of buying the team. He thought they just wanted to partner with him in building a new arena.
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However, a lot happened during that year, and so in December 2023, it was announced that Cuban sold the Mavs to the Adelson family for a whopping $3.5 billion. Mark says he intentionally left a substantial percentage of ownership to continue running the team because that’s what he wanted, and that’s what the 67-year-old and the new owners agreed to.
“You have to have 15 percent to be a governor. I have 27 percent, and that was intentional. But there were things in there that I don’t want to get into, the contract, all that kind of stuff. There’s no reason to relitigate it. You know, it’s done. I’d rather talk about Cooper Flagg and what’s happening next because I can’t change any of it. I try not to look back and “Oh well, woulda, coulda, shoulda because that doesn’t change s—t,” he added.
The NBA took out the clause that would have given him control
The American businessman also clarified that it was not the Adelsons who removed the provision in the contract of sale that would have allowed him to continue running the team after ceding majority control. Mark said it was the NBA that told them to delete that part of the agreement.
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“There was a clause in there that gave me the right to be in every meeting, every trade discussion, everything. And the NBA took that out. I’ll show it to you later. I’ve got the letter from my lawyer saying the NBA made us remove it. I don’t give a f–k at this point, it’s done. I signed the contract. It was signed on the line that was dotted. There’s nothing I can do at this point in time to change any of it,” he asserted.
Without the written agreement, Cuban was left powerless. Adelson’s son-in-law, Patrick Dumont, took over as team governor while he and general manager Nico Harrison decided on the controversial player moves that happened during the 2024-25 campaign. However, Nico turned misfortune into fortune when the Mavs won the 2025 Draft Lottery. Mark says that’s what matters now — that the team is in good hands with Cooper Flagg.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.