Blunt Mark Cuban blames NBA and Adelsons after losing control on Mavs basketball operations - "Someone obviously changed their mind"

Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban was expected to retain his influence in the team's basketball operations after selling his majority stake to the Adelson family in 2023 for $3.5 billion. However, almost 15 months since the deal was official, Cuban's influence has dwindled down to a point where he had no say in the Luka Doncic trade that has created catastrophic unrest between the franchise and its fans.

While most fingers have been pointed at Mavericks GM Nico Harrison and Governor Patrick Dumont for allowing the move, some have called out Cuban for selling his majority stake.

Amid the growing shout against the billionaire businessman, Cuban broke the silence on the situation in a Facebook comment thread, accusing the NBA and Adelsons of hindering his position in the organization.

"I fully expected to run basketball, " Cuban wrote (via WFAA). "The NBA wouldn’t let me put it in the contract. They took it out. I thought [the Adelsons] would stick to their word because they didn’t know the first thing about running a team. Someone obviously changed their mind."

Mark Cuban brought the Mavericks to prominence under his ownership. The Mavericks had multiple NBA Finals appearances with legend Dirk Nowitzki, who also led them to a title win in 2011. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic took them to the Western Conference finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2024.

Cuban claimed several times that he wouldn't have allowed the deal if consulted. However, by the time Nico Harrison and the team's brass informed him, the deal was already through.

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Bill Simmons rips Mark Cuban for selling the Mavericks

The Mavericks practically gifting Luka Doncic to the Lakers at a discount deal wasn't received well by anyone, let alone Dallas's fans. As Doncic continues to get more comfortable in LA, starting to flash his brilliance as an All-NBA talent who made the finals last year, the outrage continues to spark among media members.

The Ringer's Bill Simmons was the latest to express frustration about it. The veteran analyst discussed Cuban complaining about the Doncic trade in almost every interview in the Mar. 24 episode of his show, "The Bill Simmons Podcast," saying (1:32:42):

"He’s trying to distance himself desperately from the Luka trade, and he’ll do any interview and talk about how he can’t believe (it), and ‘oh my god I had no idea.’ It’s like, you did sell the team to these dudes. This is your fault."

Cuban's decision to sell the Mavericks relied heavily on the Adelson Family's revenue resource and ability to make additional investments to improve the team in the new CBA.

Cuban also didn't want the ownership to become a family business. He has three kids.