How the Dallas Mavericks became a better destination than the Lakers with Mark Cuban gone

The general manager of the Dallas Mavericks is no longer the team owner, which is the same goal for all fans of the Dallas Cowboys.

Mark Cuban’s tenure as the owner of the Mavs ended last season; both his role, and shares, of the franchise decreased way ahead of schedule. The original plan when he sold the team in November of 2023 was that he would remain in control of basketball operations, with a 27 percent stake in the team. That plan all lasted for less than a year.

He may retain his normal seats on the baseline at the American Airlines Center to watch his toy, and Cuban will remain visible on social media and talk shows, but the Mavs belong to owner Patrick Dumont, and GM Nico Harrison.

Of the many decisions Cuban made, hiring Harrison as GM and VP of basketball operations in the summer of 2021 turned out to be a nice parting gift. Harrison understood that Cuban wanted to be a (big) part of player personnel moves, and Cuban believed that Harrison’s relationships with agents and players gave the Mavs a chance to sign elite talent.

The Mavs’ signing former Golden State Warriors shooter Klay Thompson to a three-year, $50 million contract in the summer is the first time this team grabbed an elite player in free agency. That it was done after Cuban sold the team is a cruel coincidence.

Cuban was always convinced he could make the Mavs as attractive as the destination teams such as the Lakers, Knicks and Heat. He couldn’t. Harrison may have just done that. It should not be lost on anyone that the Mavericks are a more attractive NBA team than the Lakers.

Klay and the Mavs assembled on Monday at their facility in Dallas for the first time since they lost Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Boston against the Celtics to end their season. The Mavs preseason begins on Oct. 7, and the regular season on Oct. 24.

The addition of Thompson makes the Mavericks a solid favorite to return to the Finals.

“I feel like our dreams can be possible because he’s here now,” Mavs guard Kyrie Irving on Monday during the team’s media day.

A match made in awful: Dallas Mavericks and NBA free agency

The only thing the Mavs never did under Cuban was sign the top free agent player. Every biblical figure knows it was not for a lack of care, intent or effort. DeAndre Jordan (the first time), Dwight Howard, LeBron James (yes, they asked), Chris Paul, Deron Williams (the first time), et all said no.

The steady stream of summer rejections forced the Mavs to sign the best-of-the-rest players like Chandler Parsons, Wes Matthews and just guys.

All of the major player additions this team made came via trades; dealing for Kristaps Porzingis as well as Irving, and then giving them monster contracts after they had been with the team for a matter for only a few months.

There were no less than a million theories why top free agents never did come to the Mavericks, usually from the dumb to the dumber. It’s a football town. Black NBA players don’t like the area. Players didn’t like former Mavs coach Rick Carlisle. Former Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki didn’t do much to recruit players.

The Mavs are located a top five media market, but they have middle earth problems no different than Oklahoma City, or Memphis. The Mavs don’t play in a destination city (sorry, but you don’t see a lot of tourists flocking to DFW for Spring Break).

It’s a good franchise in a good place to live, but .... it’s not the beach, or NYC.

Nico Harrison as “a fixer”

Players did not sign with the Mavericks because of the presence of Cuban. They didn’t sign here because in those specific aforementioned high profile examples there was an other opportunity that player preferred.

For a long time Harrison was a target of NBA teams to be a GM because he made so many relationships with players and agents. As free agency changed, the power went more to the players and their agents to go where they want. For an NBA team to have a chance to sign those types of players, the player better like it.

When the Mavericks traded for Irving, it was done knowing that the sometimes controversial player knew Harrison since he was a teenager. By any measure the addition of Irving has worked. When the team pitched Klay Thompson in the offseason, Irving was a big part of the sales force.

Thompson was pursued by the Lakers, where his dad played and is a current broadcaster, but picked the Mavericks. A future Hall of Fame player passed on the chance to play with Anthony Davis and LeBron James in favor of playing with Luka Doncic, Kyrie and the Mavs.

On a much smaller scale, guard Spencer Dinwiddie had a chance to return to the Lakers, or go back to a team where he helped lead to the Western Conference finals, in 2022. Dinwiddie passed on the Lakers and opted for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks have reached, and won, an NBA title before. Trying to return to an NBA Finals is not new territory.

To be ahead of the Lakers as a preferred spot in free agency? That’s new ground.

Cuban always believed the Mavs could be right there with the Lakers, and he was right. It just happened after he left.