TITLE: Mark Cuban Says NBA Cut His Authority After Mavericks Sale
SLUG: mark-cuban-says-nba-cut-his-authority-after-mavericks-sale
CONTENT:
Dallas — Former longtime Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he stands by his decision to sell a majority share of the franchise but faults the process that cost him formal control inside the organization.
Speaking on the “DLLS” podcast, Cuban said he would “still sell the team … for all the same reasons,” yet regrets declining to open the sale to competing bidders. In December, casino heiress Miriam Adelson and her son-in-law Patrick Dumont purchased roughly 73 percent of the Mavericks, leaving Cuban with a 27 percent stake.
According to Cuban, the written agreement initially allowed him to remain team governor and to participate in every meeting and trade discussion. He claims that clause was removed at the league’s direction.
“I did have it in writing,” Cuban said. “There was a clause in there that gave me the right to be in every meeting, every trade discussion, everything, and the NBA took that out.”
Commissioner Adam Silver stated in March that Cuban’s role was a matter for Cuban and Dumont to decide, but Cuban insists league attorneys forced the change. “Who the hell do you think took it out? I’ve got a letter from my lawyer saying the NBA made us remove it,” he said.
Cuban described his relationship with Dumont as productive and said the two speak regularly. He acknowledged, however, that he has little contact with general manager Nico Harrison, who authorized the blockbuster deal that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“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,” Cuban said. “But what’s done is done. And we got Cooper Flagg; the basketball gods were looking down on us, and he’s the real deal.”
The Mavericks’ change in ownership structure closed late last year. Cuban remains a minority shareholder without the governor title he once held.
Source: Hoops Wire
