Everyone was shocked when Luka Doncic was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
It’s hard to think of a bigger and more startling move in NBA history, and the entire league was caught off guard.
Even Mark Cuban was surprised by it, and he still has very serious thoughts and feelings about how it went down.
Cuban opened up about the Doncic trade and said he was hurt just like everyone else.
“We all were hurt when Luka got traded. Me, as much as anyone, because I felt like I let people down by not being there, but what’s done is done,” Cuban said.
Mark Cuban reacts to the Luka Doncic trade:
"I felt like I let people down by not being there." pic.twitter.com/tyvO1nLPme
— DLLS Mavs (@DLLS_Mavs) August 26, 2025
Cuban said that he had experienced shock and anger from fans before, but nothing like this.
It was made even worse by the fact that it was out of Cuban’s hands because he was no longer the majority owner of the team.
In many ways, all he could do was sit on the sidelines and watch.
The good news is that the Mavericks are in a much better position now.
Like others, Cuban is really excited about Cooper Flagg and what he can do for the team.
He believes that Flagg is the future, young, talented, and ready to get started.
Cuban feels that in only a few years, people won’t be talking about the Doncic trade as much because the team will be in a new golden age, led by Flagg.
The shock is still there, and fans continue to be upset about losing Doncic, but they are moving on, slowly but surely.
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