Mark Cuban no longer communicates directly with Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, despite hiring him in 2021 to replace Donnie Nelson. Cuban acknowledged the breakdown during an appearance on DLLS Sports, describing a fundamental shift in the team’s power structure.
Cuban sold his majority stake to the Adelson/Dumont family in 2023 with plans to remain involved in basketball operations. However, he was quickly sidelined as Harrison retained control of basketball decisions while Patrick Dumont assumed the governor role.
The Mavericks initially enjoyed success under the change of ownership when they reached the 2024 Finals, but the fissures of change were fully revealed when Luka Doncic was controversially traded to the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the 2025 trade deadline. Cuban has been openly critical of the decision by Harrison.
“You know, it’s kind of a triangle,” Cuban said. “It’s not like Nico and I talking about it. It’s Nico talking to Patrick, and I’m talking to Patrick, and it’s his job to, you know, assimilate all that and make a decision.”
When directly asked if he maintains the same level of communication with Harrison, Cuban replied flatly that he doesn’t. The admission highlights how drastically Cuban’s role has changed since the ownership transition.
Dumont approaches his position from a business perspective rather than Cuban’s superfan mentality with heavy basketball involvement. Cuban expressed confidence in Dumont’s championship aspirations but acknowledged their different approaches.
“I know [Dumont] cares. I have no doubt in my mind that he wants to win a championship. But he’s not me, you know, and he’s going to do it his own way,” Cuban said.
Cuban identified the loss of direct personnel decision-making authority and communication breakdown with Harrison as the most significant changes to his role with the franchise.
