Jason Kidd claps back at fiery Luka Doncic trade accusation

Mark Cuban proclaimed that Jason Kidd was involved in the Luka Doncic trade during a podcast appearance earlier this week, and Kidd attempted to put this narrative to rest on Friday at shootaround. Reporters asked Kidd multiple questions about Cuban's remark, and his answer remained the same as it has since the Dallas Mavericks traded Doncic last February.

"I know one of our owners, Cuban, had mentioned that I knew about the trade, so unfortunately, as I have said, I was not part of the process, and I was informed at the 11th hour," Kidd said. "And that's the truth."

Jason Kidd is sticking to his guns amid Luka Doncic trade claims

Ever since the day of the trade, Kidd said he didn't know about it or wasn't involved, until right as it happened. Nico Harrison himself said that he made this trade on his own with Rob Pelinka, but this hasn't come without plenty of doubt from fans.

Mavericks fans are pretty split when it comes to their thoughts on whether or not Kidd was involved, as it's hard to believe that a trade of this magnitude could be worked out in the shadows. It's no secret that Kidd had some frustration with Doncic, but his story was always that he didn't know anything about it.

Fans doubted this, though, as Doncic won't even look at him when the Mavericks take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Who's really telling the truth here?

Why Mavericks fans still doubt Kidd's story

He always greets many of his former teammates and Cuban when taking on the Mavericks, but never acknowledges the head coach who coached him for three and a half seasons. Kidd was the coach who helped lead Dallas to the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2024, but Doncic seemingly wants nothing to do with him.

Fans always point to this when thinking about if Kidd wanted Doncic traded, and he did his best to weasel his way out of this predicament on Friday. He's certainly in an awkward position, given that Cuban threw him under the bus over a year after the trade, but he's sticking to his word.

Kidd said that he had no idea about the trade, and he wants to move on.

Kidd and Dallas' path forward with Cooper Flagg

He's excited about the team's future with Cooper Flagg as their superstar, and he's trying to put all of the talk surrounding the Luka Doncic trade in the rearview mirror. This is obviously hard to do, given that it's the most controversial trade in sports history, but he wants to move forward.

Kidd has a job to do, as all signs point to him remaining the Mavericks' head coach for years to come. He, and the front office, are going to do whatever it takes to put a contender around Flagg, and the nonstop chatter about the Doncic trade is only distracting him from their main goal.

Whether or not Kidd is telling the truth is for fans to decide, and we may never know the full extent of the saga that led to Doncic getting traded to Los Angeles. Reports have hinted at Kidd knowing; Cuban also insists he was involved, but Kidd persistently says otherwise.

The world may never know...