Mark Cuban tried to save Mavericks from Nico Harrison's disastrous Luka Doncic trade

When it finally looked like Dallas Maverick fans could put their anger aside to enjoy some basketball, it was reported that Anthony Davis would miss an extended amount of time as he is dealing with another abdominal injury. Davis' injury not only comes at a terrible time with the playoff push ensuing for the Mavs, but it could have all but guaranteed the Luka Doncic-Davis swap was one the Mavericks wish they hadn't made.

Davis could miss anywhere from a few weeks to a month and if surgery is involved, the recovery process likely means he's out for the remainder of the season. If Davis is to miss an elongated amount of time and Dallas' playoff hopes dwindle, Kyrie Irving's future in Dallas could be in jeopardy as he has a player option at the end of this season.

While plenty of the spotlight has been on Nico Harrison over the last week, Patrick Dumont has also spoken about the trade, and his analysis of why Dallas made the move made Mavericks fans even more angry. He sent shots at Doncic's work ethic and character, and this trade looks worse by the day.

Since the trade took place last week, minority owner Mark Cuban has had very little to say publicly about what just occurred, but as the week went along, more and more came out about Cuban's true thoughts.

Mark Cuban fought to shut down the Luka Doncic trade

In a recent piece by NBA insider Marc Stein, it was revealed that Cuban didn't find out about the trade until both teams had already agreed upon it, and he even reached out to Harrison in an attempt to veto the trade (subscription required).

"By the time Cuban found out about the Luka-for-AD trade, it was too late," Stein wrote about Cuban in a recent Substack. "Dumont never approached for advice. Sources say Cuban urged Harrison not to go ahead with the swap...only to find out that the deal had already been sealed with the Lakers by verbal handshake."

Since learning of this news, Mavericks fans have already begun to ponder the thought of what would have happened if Cuban was still the decision-maker in Dallas. There's real reason to believe that Cuban would've never mentioned Doncic in trade talks considering how much he coveted Dirk Nowitzki and Doncic.

Even in his current role, had Cuban found out about the trade before the deal was verbally agreed upon, he could have spoken to Dumont and other front office members before it was too late. The world will never know if the trade would have gone through if this was a reality, but Cuban's lack of knowledge on the trade suggests the team wanted nothing to do with his input.

Stein would later go on to say that Cuban coveted Doncic so highly that he believed he could have played as long as Nowitzki played in Dallas, which was 21 seasons. Fans of the Mavs have not only begun to piggyback on Cuban's thoughts about the trade but are pleading with him to buy the team again on social media.

It's unclear how much say the current Maverick owners had in this deal, but at the end of the day, they were the ones to pull the trigger on what could be one of the weirdest trades in basketball history.

Only time will tell what other facts come of the Doncic trade but it's safe to say the Mavericks front office is in full scramble mode to plead their case and win the love of their fanbase back. Without Davis, each passing day gets worse and worse for Harrison and Dumont.