Jeanie Buss Dishes on Mark Cuban Being Shut Out of Luka Doncic Trade Talks Between Lakers, Mavs

Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss suggested this week that general manager Rob Pelinka moving in silence likely played a big role in managing to pry Luka Dončić away from the Dallas Mavericks last season.

During an appearance on Pretty Tough with Maria Sharapova (beginning at the 26:12 mark), Buss explained what led up to the Dončić trade, including the fact that former Mavs governor Mark Cuban apparently wasn't privy to the discussions:

"I mean, in order to trade somebody like Anthony Davis, it would have to be with approval," Buss said. "Not only that, but a first-round draft pick and certainly getting a player of Luka's caliber and being at the beginning end of his career was just an extraordinary opportunity, but it required a lot of strategy and a lot of small steps in order to pull it off.

"And Rob Pelinka, our general manager, was able to do that all without leaking to the media because I think Mark Cuban might have jumped in front of a train to keep it from happening."

Cuban was the Mavs' governor from 2000 until late 2023 when he sold his majority stake in the franchise to Patrick Dumont.

While Cuban has remained on as a minority owner, he was always heavily involved in decisions as the governor, and that seemingly hasn't been the case since the sale.

Late on the night of Feb. 2, 2025, the Lakers and Mavs sent shockwaves through the NBA, as they agreed to a deal that sent Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to L.A. for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.

The move helped lift the Lakers to a playoff berth last season, and with Dončić leading the way this season, they went 52-30 and secured the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.

Dončić also established himself as one of the leading NBA MVP candidates, as he led the league in scoring with 33.5 points per game to go along with 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds.

Although he missed the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets due to a hamstring injury, L.A. advanced to the second round, and it awaits his return as it looks to make a championship run.

As for the Mavericks, they fell apart following Dončić's departure, missing the playoffs last season and finishing 12th in the Western Conference this season at 26-56.

The Mavs also fired general manager Nico Harrison this season in what was seemingly an admission that the Dončić trade was a massive blunder.

Cuban himself has gone on record as saying that the Mavericks didn't get anywhere near enough back in exchange for Dončić.

Speaking to WFAA (h/t ESPN) in March 2025, Cuban said, "If the Mavs are going to trade Luka, that's one thing. Just get a better deal. No disrespect to Anthony Davis, but I still firmly believe if we had gotten four unprotected No. 1s and Anthony Davis and Max Christie, this would be a different conversation."

The trade wasn't ultimately Cuban's decision to make, though, and by keeping the negotiations under wraps and out of the media, Buss seems to believe that it prevented Cuban from trying to interfere.