When Shams Charania’s X post hit at 12:12 a.m. ET on Feb. 2, 2025, the basketball world froze. Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. Half the internet assumed Charania had been hacked. His follow-up tweet carried an unusual prefix: “Yes, this is real.”
Fourteen months later, it still doesn’t feel that way for Mavericks fans.
Doncic has become everything Dallas traded away. He became the second player in NBA history to open a season with three straight 40-point games, joining Wilt Chamberlain. He’s averaging 33.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists, leading the Lakers to a 49-26 record and a firm grip on the third seed in the West. Meanwhile, Davis appeared in just 29 games for Dallas before being shipped to the Washington Wizards in February. The Mavericks sit at 24-52 and were eliminated from playoff contention eight days ago.
Now, in the Intersections podcast released Tuesday, the Mavericks’ minority owner, Mark Cuban, went further than ever before in explaining who pushed for the trade. Asked directly about decision-makers, he offered a pointed answer.
“All I’ll tell you is that it wasn’t Michael Finley,” Cuban said. “And you can surmise who else was in the room.”
The host pressed him on whether the deal was personal, given what the Mavericks received for a generational player. Cuban didn’t mince words.
Former Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (left) and head coach Jason KiddBrad Rempel-Imagn Images
(Brad Rempel-Imagn Images)
“I think there was animosity between our former general manager [Nico Harrison] and some people on Luka’s team, you know, his agent and some of the people that worked around them. I don’t think they got along. I think there were issues that J-Kidd [Jason Kidd] had coached with Anthony Davis and was close to him. And Nico was close to AD since he was like 13 years old.”
Cuban paused before driving home his larger point.
“And so I think, you know, you talk about confirmation bias, there was some of that as well. But that doesn’t justify it for our coach and our general manager to stand up and trade our best player.”
Kidd, for his part, has maintained since February 2025 that he learned of the trade at “the eleventh hour.” He told the Dan Patrick Show in May that he texted Doncic the morning after the deal went down. “That’s the last time I’ve talked to him. I don’t think he was too happy.”
The wreckage around Kidd continues to pile up. Nico Harrison drew the fury of an entire fanbase and was fired in November after a 3-8 start. Davis, the centerpiece of Harrison’s “vision,” barely played. The team sits in the lottery for the second straight year. And now Cuban has publicly implicated the coach in the decision that torched the franchise.
Kidd signed an extension last year with the Mavericks. But with Dallas among the league’s bottom teams and the minority owner pointing fingers on podcasts, it seems the question isn’t whether the Mavericks will move on from their coach. It’s when.
Related: Lakers Announce Luka Doncic’s Defensive Milestone During Nets Game
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.