Mark Cuban is one of the most successful businessmen in the world at the moment. For several years he has been a strong factor in the Dallas Mavericks‘ success. Knowing who he truly is, it is safe to say that the Mavericks have a reliable decision-maker. However, one of his most recent decisions did not age well with the public. Some argue that it may have been one of the Mavericks’ worst decisions.
Yes, Dallas’ acquisition of Kyrie Irving is exactly why people believe the team is struggling right now. After a tremulous stint with the Brooklyn Nets, the former NBA Champion wanted out. A few days before the All-Star weekend, Kyrie was shipped to the Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and a couple of future draft picks.
Irving was paired alongside Luka Doncic who was having one of his best personal seasons. Fans couldn’t help but notice how the Mavericks didn’t have as much success following the trade as they did before it. Dallas had a decent record among Western Conference teams and was projected to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, it never happened and the duo was blamed for not taking authority.
Mark Cuban reveals the real reason why the Mavericks failed last season
Kyrie Irving appeared for 20 games with Mavericks following the trade and averaged 26.9 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists per piece. Doncic did not decline following the trade and continued on his hot streak. However, there was something odd about the Mavericks losing games consistently after the trade. And Mark Cuban thinks the Mavericks’ failure to qualify or win games had nothing to do with Irving and Doncic.
During his recent appearance on the Pat Bev Podcast, he said, “When you look at last year, we had issues that had nothing to do with Kyrie or Luka playing together. When they played together, they were a top-5 combo in the league.”
He added, “We just didn’t have a team that was committed to their roles… Like the year before when we went to the Western Conference Finals, everybody knew their role and everybody just played their role perfectly. This past year, that just wasn’t the case.”
Mark Cuban speaks positive about Kyrie and his first season with the Mavericks 👀
(🎥 The Pat Bev Podcast/YT) pic.twitter.com/TuGddy0wFX
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) August 30, 2023
“It wasn’t Kyrie or Luka, they knew their roles. But once other guys start playing for themselves or not playing for the team, every mistake that you can possibly have is magnified to no end. So we made a lot of changes… on and off the court,” he concluded.
Mark Cuban also added that Irving is aware that Dallas is Luka’s team. The 24-year-old has been the centerpiece of the organization since he was drafted. Doncic has evolved into a young leader much like how LeBron James was to the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2000s.