Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban recently revealed the Dallas Mavericks’ No. 1 free agency disappointment. Cuban, 66, has reportedly “always” had a penchant for chasing the top free agents in the NBA. Cuban tried to maximize Dirk Nowitzki’s potential, especially during the final years of the namesake era, even if the public was disappointed.
Cuban’s recent revelation on Jalen Brunson’s podcast “The Roommates Show” has drawn attention to himself and his minority ownership of the Mavericks.
Mark Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks-Related Revelation
Mark Cuban recently appeared on Jalen Brunson’s podcast “The Roommates Show” and was asked about the Dallas Mavericks’ most disappointing free agency pursuit by Brunson, who himself left the Mavericks in free agency in 2022 after a four-year tenure in Dallas, Texas. According to Sports Illustrated, Cuban responded,
“Dwight Howard, for sure … We wanted to get a big to be next to Dirk and we had cap room finally because we never had cap room since the time I’d been there. We thought we had something worked out with him, and we actually traded down in the draft to get enough cap room and missed on the ‘Greek Freak,’ on Giannis [Antetokounmpo] because of it. Because there were a bunch of guys in our draft room that wanted to go with Giannis and it was on me, I was like ‘Look, we’ve got Dirk, he’s not 21 anymore, we need to try and get a center by him, because that’s what we’ve always needed.’ It didn’t happen and Giannis is Giannis.”
Cuban’s response was to be expected, as the “Shark Tank” star wanted to get a new center alongside veteran center Dirk Nowitzki, but things didn’t go as planned in 2013.
Mark Cuban’s Mistake in Dallas Mavericks’ Draft
Mark Cuban’s mistake in the Dallas Mavericks’ draft back in 2013 was likely scrutinized by most if not all, people. Instead of signing Dwight Howard, Cuban and company signed Monta Ellis, Samuel Dalembert, Wayne Ellington, and Jose Calderon during the 2013 NBA offseason.
Howard, 38, was one of the best free agents at the time and was offered a maximum five-year, $118 contract by the Los Angeles Lakers before signing with the Houston Rockets and forming a superstar duo with James Harden.
Mark Cuban and Dallas Mavericks Learn Lesson
Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks learned a lesson after the 2013 NBA Draft. Cuban and the Mavericks learned the hard way that trading down in 2013 was the “real” mistake.
The Mavericks traded down from the 13th pick to the 16th to clear some cap room, and Giannis Antetokounmpo went 15th to the Milwaukee Bucks. With Antetokounmpo off the board, Dallas traded down again to the 18th pick and ended up with Shane Larkin, who played in 48 games for the Mavericks before being traded to the New York Knicks. Antetokounmpo became a 2021 NBA champion, while Howard maintained his professional basketball career in North America and overseas.
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