Mark Cuban reveals his biggest regret: hiring GM Nico Harrison, who orchestrated the Lakers' Luka Doncic trade, calling it a monumental mistake.
DALLAS - It is both an admission that should surprise no one ... and a sentiment that continues to resonate ... maybe forever.
Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks had themselves a setup. Luka Doncic was here. He was a perennial MVP contender and the Mavs had just gone to the NBA Finals.
Fast-forward to now. Cuban sold his controlling interest in the team and a year ago, the new bosses oversaw a preposterous decision as Luka was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for a bag of magic beans.
It remains one of the most shocking - and lopsided - deals in sports history. ... and Doncic not remaining with the Mavericks is still a "Kick In The Gortats'' to many MFFLs who still haven't fully returned to the folks ... even as rookie sensation Cooper Flagg has taken the baton of stardom.
Regrets? Mark Cuban has a few ... including the hiring of the GM who helped pull the trigger on the ill-fated trade.
The general manager then was Nico Harrison, a well-connected Nike exec with no experience running a team.
Cuban is the one who hired Nico, who this year was fired.
And yeah, Cuban isn't feeling very good about his involvement in the negative chain reaction.
On Wednesday's episode of "The Adam Friedland Show," Cuban discussed his thoughts on Harrison's time here.
“Yeah,” Cuban said of the 2021 hiring of Nico. “In hindsight now, it was a mistake. But whatever.”
"Whatever'' may come across as too passive a take for some. But don't misread this: That's about Cuban being willing to take blame while also wanting to help the organization move on.
Dallas is trying to do that now, the team having lucked out in the lottery to receive the No. 1 pick in last year's NBA draft ... which landed the Mavs the teenage star from Duke.
Flagg is in the Rookie of the Year race.
Doncic is leading the league in points with 32.5 per game.
And Cuban has his Nico regrets ... as do the rest of us.