The Dallas Mavericks empathize with their upset fan base — until they criticize leadership inside the arena. Just one day after owner Patrick Dumont said he understands why fans feel hurt about the Mavericks’ earth-shattering trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis,

In a conversation with Bill Gates at the Eisemann Center in Richardson on Friday night, Cuban was blunt in his first public response about the trade that sent the international superstar he drafted to Los Angeles. "I've had a rough week," Cuban told Gates to begin the event per Sarah Hepola of The Dallas Morning News.

Former Dallas Mavericks governor Mark Cuban gave his first public comment on the Luka Doncic trade, after the 25-year-old superstar was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis and a first-round pick prior to the NBA trade deadline.

The jaw-dropping Luka Doncic trade cemented the reality, if it wasn’t already clear, that Mark Cuban has no influence on the Mavericks’ basketball operations.

When Cuban sold his majority stake in the Mavericks back in November 2023, it was reported that he would retain control of basketball operations. While he remains a minority owner in the franchise, the Dončić trade makes it clear his role has diminished within the walls of the facility.

For Cuban, that meant watching the Mavericks part ways with franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic on Feb. 1 in a blockbuster NBA trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. Doncic is expected to make his debut for the Lakers on Monday night against the Utah Jazz.

Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban apparently made a last-ditch effort to stop the blindsiding blockbuster trade deal that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis,