Mark Cuban once said he’d rather divorce his wife than trade Luka Dončić. Now, with Cuban no longer holding the reins in Dallas, the Mavericks’ new ownership made that decision for him-sending Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster move that’s still sending shockwaves across the league.
And while Dončić won’t be walking back through the doors at the American Airlines Center anytime soon, Cuban might be trying to walk back in himself. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, there’s been real movement behind the scenes involving a group of Dallas-based investors reportedly interested in teaming up with Cuban to buy the franchise back from the Dumont and Adelson families.
Stein noted that, so far, there’s little indication the current owners are interested in selling. But the fact that there’s even chatter about Cuban returning to power speaks volumes-especially in the wake of a trade that’s increasingly being viewed as a franchise-altering misstep for Dallas.
The Luka Trade Fallout: Advantage, Lakers
Let’s not sugarcoat it-the Lakers came out of the Dončić trade looking like bandits. Every passing week seems to reinforce just how lopsided the deal was.
The Mavericks lost a generational talent. The Lakers gained a cornerstone to build around for the next decade.
Even the “haul” Dallas received in return hasn’t aged well. The trade package was reshuffled when Anthony Davis was later dealt to the Washington Wizards, but that didn’t do much to improve the optics. If anything, it highlighted how little Dallas got back for one of the league’s most dynamic players.
The Mavericks, once viewed as a team on the rise with Dončić at the center of everything, are now navigating an identity crisis. Ownership uncertainty, a roster in flux, and the lingering sting of trading away a bona fide superstar-it’s a tough pill to swallow for a franchise that had its future mapped out.
Meanwhile in L.A., the Future is Bright
On the other side of the deal, the Lakers are thriving. They’ve got Dončić locked in, and the 2026 offseason is shaping up to be a pivotal one as they look to retool the roster around their new franchise player.
It’s a familiar formula-surround your superstar with the right pieces and go all-in. The Mavericks did it well before letting him go.
Now it’s the Lakers’ turn.
And unlike the chaos in Dallas, there’s no fear in Los Angeles of waking up to find their cornerstone gone. The Lakers are all-in on Dončić, and every sign points to a franchise ready to build something sustainable around him.
What’s Next in Dallas?
If Cuban does manage to regain control of the franchise, it would be more than just a power shift. It would be a clear acknowledgment that the team veered off course.
Cuban was the face of the Mavericks for over two decades, overseeing the team’s rise from irrelevance to NBA champions. His potential return would signal a desire to restore that vision-and perhaps prevent another situation like the Dončić trade from ever happening again.
But that’s all hypothetical for now. What’s real is this: the Lakers made a bold move, and it’s paying off. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are left to pick up the pieces of a decision that may haunt them for years.
No matter how you slice it, the Dončić deal is starting to look like one of the most consequential trades in recent memory. And unless something changes fast in Dallas, the Lakers’ gain will continue to be the Mavericks’ loss.