As the previous owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban enjoyed tremendous success with the franchise, with the 2011 NBA championship being the high point of his tenure as owner. Still, considering that he had the chance to draft Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013, Cuban admits that he has made some big mistakes during his time.
While appearing on the latest episode of “The Adam Friedland Show,” Mark Cuban opened up about some of the players he missed out on in the draft, with Giannis Antetokounmpo being particularly noteworthy.
Friedland: “Who’s your biggest miss? Like who did you miss on? Like what player do you wish you got?”
Cuban: “Tyrese Maxey was a big miss for us recently. Greek Freak was probably the biggest, yeah.”
In the 2013 NBA Draft, Cuban had the opportunity to draft Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 13th overall pick. Even former Mavs GM Donnie Nelson was in favor of the idea, as he advised Cuban to make the selection. However, the then-Mavs owner had other plans.
Cuban recently mentioned that the reason the Mavs didn’t select Giannis Antetokounmpo was rooted in their plan to acquire Dwight Howard that season. Given that the Mavs had limited footage on Antetokounmpo, who had only played in Greece’s B-League, gaining cap flexibility by trading down made more sense.
Unfortunately, Dallas ended up missing out on Howard, who joined the Houston Rockets, and Antetokounmpo, who was selected 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks. Eventually, after several trades, the Mavs ended up with Shane Larkin, who, while talented, wasn’t enough to support an aging Dirk Nowitzki.
Not Drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo Wasn’t Mark Cuban’s Only Mistake
In light of how Giannis Antetokounmpo’s career has panned out, it was arguably a mistake. But considering that drafting him would have prevented them from landing Luka Doncic a few years later, Cuban seems to have made peace with the idea.
However, considering that Luka Doncic now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, it is apparent that there was another error along the way.
While speaking with Adam Friedland, Mark Cuban admitted that hiring Nico Harrison, the architect behind the Doncic trade, was a huge mistake.
The former Mavs owner obviously felt the need to vent some frustration while discussing the topic, as he took a shot at Harrison while addressing the notion of his son running the Mavericks.
“My son would run circles around Nico Harrison,” Cuban stated. “My son knows his s**t.”
In retrospect, hiring Nico Harrison may have been worse than missing out on Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Although the Mavericks were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, it wasn’t like a rookie Antetokounmpo was ready to transform the team into a title contender. While there was a rough period leading up to Nowitzki’s retirement, after drafting Doncic, Dallas found their way back to being a perennial playoff team.
Harrison’s decision-making before his eventual exit has left Dallas in a vulnerable position. While it allowed them to draft Cooper Flagg last year, the lack of a superstar outside of Kyrie Irving has led to the Mavericks careening to the bottom of the West (ranked 13th) this season.
Given Flagg’s development over the season, there remains a sliver of hope for the team’s performance next year. But it goes without saying that Harrison’s actions have set the Mavericks back significantly.
