Mark Cuban makes Mavericks’ Anthony Davis plans clear after Nico Harrison firing

Anyone hoping the Mavericks would shed all reminders of the controversial Luka Doncic trade will have to keep waiting.

Dallas minority owner Mark Cuban told The Athletic on Wednesday the organization has no plans to trade Anthony Davis this season.

“We won’t. We want to try to win,” Cuban, formerly the team’s majority owner, told the outlet.

Anthony Davis is defended by Jaylin Williams during the Mavericks’ loss to the Thunder on Oct. 27, 2025 in Dallas. Getty Images

Cuban also confirmed to The Athletic that he is “an adviser” to team governor Patrick Dumont, who will make all the final calls about the team. Cuban had previously stepped back from day-to-day basketball operations after the Adelson family bought a majority stake in the team in 2023

The one person, Nico Harrison, who ultimately decided to trade Doncic to the Lakers in February, was fired by the Mavericks last week after the team got off to a bumpy start this season. In his place, assistant GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi took over basketball operations in the interim.

Cuban reportedly “urged” Harrison not to trade away Doncic to no avail, as the trade had already been agreed to.

A month after the blockbuster, Cuban told WFAA that the Mavericks should have gotten more in the package.

“If the Mavs are going to trade Luka, that’s one thing,” Cuban told the outlet. “Just get a better deal. I still firmly believe if we had gotten four unprotected number ones and Anthony Davis and Max Christie, this would be a different conversation.”

Mark Cuban reacts after the Mavericks score during a game against the Raptors last season. Getty Images

It wasn’t the first time Harrison and Cuban didn’t see eye-to-eye, and in a feature published by ESPN on Wednesday, it was reported that Harrison blamed the former majority owner for letting guard Jalen Brunson leave Dallas for the Knicks in the summer of 2022.

As for Davis, the 10-time All-Star has not played since Oct. 29 with a calf strain, despite Harrison, before his firing, wanting Davis to return before the medical team stepped in to prevent it. The Athletic reported.

Davis has averaged 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds in the five games he has played.