Billionaire Mark Cuban in Shock as Nico Harrison’s Shameful Luka Trade Pays off with #1 Pick

Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban watched Nico Harrison trade away his most important player this past season.

Billionaire Mark Cuban in Shock as Nico Harrison’s Shameful Luka Trade Pays off with #1 Pick

Mark Cuban was ecstatic learning the Mavericks won the Cooper Flagg lottery (Image via FirstSportz)

The Dallas Mavericks have had quite the season. Minority owner Mark Cuban was the biggest witness watching his franchise fall from being NBA Finalists a season ago to struggling with multiple health issues and one tremor-inducing trade.

The impact of that trade transcended the usual boundaries of sports and brought the Mavericks and their GM, Nico Harrison, into the spotlight. The latter in particular had to face death threats, fans calling for his job, insults, etc.

The Mavericks’ injury problems aside, rumors of favoritism towards certain personnel at the expense of alienating franchise legends, as well as Luka Doncic, spread around as investigative journalists started to dig into his management tactics.

All this time, Mark Cuban continued to talk about how unhappy he was with the decision to trade away Luka Doncic. But he understood that he was no longer in a position of power, and wanted to work on how the new ownership wanted to see things.

Now, they have surprisingly won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. This means they get to add Duke sensation Cooper Flagg to their roster. This was a major victory for the franchise, which was desperate to win its fans back. But Cuban’s reaction sums up how they are feeling right now.

Oh my f***ing God!!!

Mark Cuban wrote

His expression indicates that he is as shocked as anyone in the NBA. The billionaire could not believe their luck as they landed a generational talent after Nico Harrison traded one away. Now they can essentially recoup what they have lost and possibly battle for an NBA title soon.

Mark Cuban understands Dallas Mavericks are title-ready with Cooper Flagg in the mix

Cooper Flagg is not just an 18-year-old with tantalizing athletic as well as basketball skills. He is considered to be a generational talent for a reason. His performance at Team USA’s Paris Olympics scrimmage against the best players in the world was enough to understand how good he already is.

He helped drag Duke to the NCAA Final Four, which proved that he is not afraid of big moments. The Dallas Mavericks need players who are willing to battle when the lights are at their brightest. If Cooper Flagg can do that with this team, they could be world champions soon.

Mark Cuban knows his team has been trying to build towards a title fight ever since he drafted Luka Doncic. But now the situation is different, and the team has a new look. Many believe this team, on its own, is NBA title-ready when healthy.

Flagg brings that additional step they never knew they could have. He comes in as a generational talent for whom the team did not have to trade draft picks or star players. Now, Cuban knows this team can add to the 2011 NBA title that they won under his guidance.

Nico Harrison and Mavericks war room lose it after winning Draft lottery

Nico Harrison might be feeling a lot better now that the Dallas Mavericks have won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. They had just a 1.8% chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick. The odds were so low that the GM himself was not at the lottery.

Dallas Mavericks become NBA title-ready with addition of Cooper Flagg
Dallas Mavericks become NBA title-ready with addition of Cooper Flagg (Image via Open Source/X)

He was instead with other Mavericks personnel at their team offices watching the lottery live. A clip shared by the franchise reveals that all the eyes inside the room were glued to the television in front of them.

As time went by, they realized they had won the coin toss against the Chicago Bulls, which placed them closer to a lottery position. Then, when the lottery started, each announcement edged them closer to the top pick.

Then, finally, when assistant commissioner Mark Tatum announced that the San Antonio Spurs received the No. 2 pick, Harrison and his colleagues erupted into cheers. They could not believe their luck in receiving a generational talent in Cooper Flagg.

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