Mark Cuban Reveals Nico Harrison Sidelined Him

Nico Harrison sold majority of his Mavericks’ share in December 2023.

Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban watches the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center.

Image Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Dallas Wings’ minority owner Mark Cuban has become vocal about his relationship with Nico Harrison, which has worsened over time. Recently, he appeared at the All-In Summit this week and made some shocking claims about the Mavericks GM when asked about his expectations of running basketball operations for the franchise during its sale. He also expressed his regrets about giving up control during such a pivotal stretch, which ultimately led to Luka Doncic’s trade.

“I f***ed up,” said Cuban. “When I did the deal, the presumption was that I would still be running basketball. We tried putting it in the contract, but the NBA said, ‘The governor is the governor, and they make all final decisions.’”

He added, “I was involved, and then we went on this run where we went to the Finals, and rather than try interjecting myself all the time, I was like, ‘I don’t want to get in the way, we’re rolling.’ And that was a mistake. There were some things that happened internally where the person who traded Luka didn’t want me there. So, they won. I lost.”

Notably, Cuban sold the majority of his stake to the Adelson/Dumont family in 2023, planning to remain active in basketball operations. However, he was sidelined and Harrison retained the control of basketball decisions while Patrick Dumont assumed the role of the governor. While initially the franchise enjoyed success following the ownership change and made it to the 2024 Finals. However, things changed quickly as their star player was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the 2025 trade deadline.

Mark Cuban Doesn’t Have Any Regrets Selling the Team, Only How He Handled the Process

During his appearance on the DLLS Mavs Podcast, Cuban clarified that he doesn’t regret selling the team. However, he does have regret about how he handled the entire process. He said, “Would I still sell the team? Yes, for all the same reasons I said a hundred times. Would I do it the same way? Absolutely not. I would’ve put it out to bid. But I didn’t, so it doesn’t matter.”

Notably, the 67-year-old purchased the stake in the Mavericks from Henry Ross Perot Jr. in 2000 reportedly for $285 million. Ever since the takeover, he maintained player-friendly and fan-centric approaches, which made him a favorite among fans. However, he decided to sell his majority stake citing concerns about the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the need for additional revenues. He also listed the rising demands of sports betting as well as other real estate investments as some of the reasons.

Moreover, he didn’t want to pass on any burden to any of his three children. Hence, Cuban officially sold 73 percent of his Mavericks’ stake in December 2023 in a huge sale that earned him a mammoth sum of $3.5 billion.

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.

Mark Cuban Reveals Nico Harrison Sidelined Him

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