Amid a 4-11 start to the 2025-26 NBA season, many are wondering if the Dallas Mavericks lost the Luka Doncic trade, even if they ended up drafting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft.
Despite keeping Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson on the roster and adding D’Angelo Russell in the offseason, the Mavericks have had a rough start to the season.
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Kyrie Irving’s absence was expected to have an effect on the team, but not many thought the Mavs would be seven games below the .500 mark. While Irving recovers from an ACL injury, his name has been floated in trade rumors.
Kevin Durant’s impressive start with the Houston Rockets has many people talking. However, some say the Rockets need one more piece to become actual contenders in the Western Conference. Irving sounded like an option, and fans already started picturing what type of package Dallas would get for their star point guard.
On Monday, “courtsideheatnba” shared a CBS Sports mock trade that would send Fred VanVleet, Dorian Finney-Smith and a 2029 first-rounder to Dallas in exchange for Irving.
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Cuban saw the post and used a single word to share his thoughts on the trade: “no.”
After Nico Harrison’s firing from the Mavericks, reports suggest that Cuban had been involved in basketball operations. Even though Cuban denied that it was the case, he remains an important voice for Mavs fans.
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He never agreed to trade Doncic to the Lakers and he’s against the idea of parting ways with Irving now. It will be hard to see the Mavericks sending one of their stars without first seeing how the team works with Irving, Davis and Flagg all together on the floor.
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