Cuban: 'I was just as dumfounded as everybody else' about Doncic trade

Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban admitted to struggling to make sense of the team's decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.

Cuban shared his thoughts on the blockbuster deal on a recent episode of the "Your Mom's House" podcast," saying it wouldn't have happened if he was still in charge of basketball operations.

"I love Luka. We weren't best buddies, but I would text him all the time and DM him," Cuban said. "I would give him all these motivational quotes, even gave him books to read and stuff to read. We had a good relationship, got along great with his dad. I was just as dumbfounded as everybody else."

Cuban added that he's still "mourning" Dallas losing Doncic.

"It's just brutal. It's painful no matter how you look at it," he said. "It's like talking about ... like a pet dying. I'm in mourning, kind of, still."

Cuban joined the Mavs' ownership group in 2000 and remained the majority owner until he sold his stake in December 2023. The franchise won its only NBA championship in 2011.