Mark Cuban Says Passing on 10-Time NBA All-Star Was His Biggest Miss 13 Years Ago

Thirteen years ago, the Dallas Mavericks had the 13th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Giannis Antetokounmpo, an 18-year-old forward out of Greece’s second division, was still on the board. Mavericks’ then-GM Donnie Nelson tried to pursue Cuban to take him, only to be turned down. The Milwaukee Bucks picked Antetokounmpo two picks later at No. 15, and the rest is history.

The Greek Freak delivered the Bucks their second NBA Championship in franchise history. Cuban knows he cost himself a dynasty. And in a conversation with comedian Adam Friedland on “Adam Friedland Show”, the Mavericks’ minority owner did not mince his words to admit that.

The host asked Cuban, “Who’s your biggest miss? Like who did you miss on? Like what player do you wish you got?” Cuban categorically said, “Greek Freak was probably the biggest yeah,” while also adding, “Tyrese Maxey was a big miss for us recently.”

Back in 2013, however, Cuban had his own solid reasons for the move. Dallas had won its first championship just two years earlier, and Dirk Nowitzki was already 35. Cuban felt he owed his franchise cornerstone a win-now move, not a project. And to accomplish that, his target was Dwight Howard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year coming off a rocky season with the Lakers.

Nelson, who had discovered Nowitzki in Europe back in 1998, was high on Antetokounmpo. But Cuban single-handedly overruled him. As he laid it out on SiriusXM NBA Radio: “It was me. Donnie was like, ‘OK, I’m putting my you-know-what’s on the table.’ He was doing the Sam Cassell, Nick Van Exel dance. It’s all in. And I’m like, ‘Donnie, we have this plan.'”

Dallas eventually drafted Kelly Olynyk at No. 13 and flipped him to Boston for the 16th pick, Lucas Nogueira. They then traded Nogueira to Atlanta for the 18th pick, Shane Larkin. All that maneuvering freed up additional cap space, which the Mavericks dearly needed to make a max offer to Howard.

However, the most unfortunate part probably was that Howard finally signed with the Houston Rockets. To add to it, Larkin lasted just one season in Dallas. The Mavericks’ other big free agent additions that summer: Monta Ellis, Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert, all were indeed solid players. But none was close to a franchise-changer.

Former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban © Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Antetokounmpo went on to show exactly why Nelson wanted him. He became a 10-time All-Star, two-time MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and the 2021 Finals MVP who ended Milwaukee’s 50-year championship drought in 2021. In his 13th season, he’s still averaging north of 27 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game for the Bucks.

Cuban had one consolation, however. Without Antetokounmpo, the Mavericks were bad enough to land a lottery pick in 2018. They traded up for Luka Doncic, who took Dallas back to the Finals in 2024. “Had we gotten Giannis, we’d never gotten Luka,” Cuban had told Shannon Sharpe later.

To Dallas’ misfortune, even that gain was lost in February 2025 when the Mavericks traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis in a deal widely regarded as one of the most lopsided in NBA history. Cuban, who sold his majority stake in 2023, was a minority owner by then.

And the entire saga comes down to the fact that Dallas now finds itself rebuilding around Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick they landed with just 1.8% lottery odds. With a disastrous 21-44 record, they are currently 13th in the Western Conference, looking at another season slipping away.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Mark Cuban Says Passing on 10-Time NBA All-Star Was His Biggest Miss 13 Years Ago

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