Mark Cuban once infamously said he would divorce his wife before trading Luka Doncic. Without his oversight on the franchise, the Dumont family went ahead and saved his spouse the trouble by shipping away Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers without Cuban having a say in the matter.
The Dallas Mavericks aren't going to get their former superstar back, but Cuban may want to get the franchise back to ensure Cooper Flagg does not meet a similar fate in a few years. Marc Stein reported there has been noise about the former majority owner making a push to reacquire primary stewardship over the organization.
Stein wrote, "The Stein Line has learned that a group of unidentified Dallas investors has registered tangible interest in partnering with former majority owner Mark Cuban to try to buy the franchise back from the Dumont and Adelson families."
The NBA insider made it clear a source close to the current owner stated there was not much interest from Dumont in selling the team back to Cuban at this time. What's just as clear to the Lakers and their fans every time there is a new development in the post-Luka trade fallout would be just how badly they fleeced the Mavericks and ruptured the franchise in the process.
Every ripple since the Doncic deal keeps pushing the Lakers further ahead
Not that it wasn't already apparent, but Cuban retaking control of Dallas' organization would admit the obvious to the world: the Doncic trade was a massive mistake for the Mavericks.
The 'haul' Dallas received for sending away one of the top-five players on the planet to Los Angeles was technically updated when Anthony Davis was shipped out to the Washington Wizards. Did it make the Mavericks look any better? Not at all.
While Dallas potentially faces another ownership change and further muddies the waters after trading away Doncic, the Lakers will be looking to make the most of having the new present and future of their franchise. They won the initial deal, and will hope to ensure they maximize their gift.
The 2026 offseason is expected to be a major turning point in retooling around Luka. Before the Mavericks gave up Doncic, they did a masterful job in assembling a well-fitted roster around him. The Lakers are now hoping to do the same.
By contrast, though, everyone in Los Angeles should be able to sleep soundly knowing their superstar point guard will not be traded away in the middle of the night. No divorces of any capacity are necessary here.