Mark Cuban Explains Why Mavs Let Jalen Brunson Leave for Knicks in 2022 NBA Free Agency

Dallas Mavericks minority stakeholder Mark Cuban acknowledged the team didn't foresee Jalen Brunson's eventual breakout when it mishandled negotiations before his 2022 free agency.

"It was really, really simple, right? We didn't see JB, as what he would become," Cuban said on the June 3 episode of the House of Haymaker podcast (36:24 mark). "People really didn't see that. He worked his ass off. He got where he showed that star potential when Luka (Dončić) got hurt and he won those games against Utah for us."

Mavs fans have had to relive Brunson's exit all over again thanks to the New York Knicks' championship run.

Occasionally, dueling narratives can emerge from ownership, the front office and player side when going back over a personnel decision. In the case of Brunson, everyone seems to be on the same page.

Dallas could've signed Brunson to a four-year, $55.5 million extension prior to the 2021-22 season but declined to make the offer. By the time the Mavs concretely put that on the table, his value had clearly soared beyond that.

The way in which the southpaw carried the offense in the first three games of the 2022 playoffs without Dončić all but ensured he'd be headed for a nine-figure payday as a free agent.

Now, there is some level of revisionist history over how badly the Mavericks erred in their view of Brunson. They weren't the only ones who questioned at the time whether he was a lead playmaker worthy of a $100 million contract. He simply hadn't proven it over a large sample.

There are countless examples of teams making a similar bet to New York and having it backfire in a big way.

Dallas had the added consideration of how Brunson would operate in a regular starting role alongside Dončić. That partnership may not have worked over the long haul because both are ball-dominant guards.

Unlike the Dončić trade, which was a bad result from a bad process, losing Brunson as a free agent wasn't a mistake telegraphed well in advance. Sometimes, rational decision-making can lead to unfortunate outcomes.