Newest Mavericks rumor crushes fans' dream of a franchise-changing return

Dallas Mavericks fans were overwhelmed with excitement when rumors surfaced that Mark Cuban was looking to buy the Mavs back from Patrick Dumont with an investor group, but it doesn't sound like Dumont is looking to sell the team right now. Dumont bought the team less than three years ago, and he seems to be looking forward to the new era with Cooper Flagg at the head of the snake.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, a source close to Dumont briefed him that "the team is not for sale and the (Adelson and Dumont) families look forward to expanding their ownership stake over time."

This report shuts down the chances of Cuban buying the team back for the time being, and Mavs fans' pipe dream of Cuban taking over once again needs to be put to the side for now. Cuban is still involved with the front office as a minority owner, but he doesn't have the final say on decisions like Dumont.

Patrick Dumont shuts down all Mavericks sale chatter

Mavericks fans were so excited about the chance of Cuban buying the team once again because of the possibility that he could lure Luka Doncic back to Dallas in the summer of 2028. Doncic has a player option for the 2028-29 season, and if he were to opt out, the Mavericks would be in a prime position to sign him if Dumont were no longer the owner.

The Mavericks gave themselves plenty of financial flexibility after trading Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards last week, and they could ultimately have a shot at signing Doncic if they move some more money around ahead of the 2028 offseason. Regardless though, Cuban or someone else would have to be the owner rather than Dumont.

Dumont ultimately signed off on the Luka Doncic trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers, and it seems extremely unlikely that he would ever return to the Mavericks if Dumont were still in charge. This trade broke Doncic to his core, as he never expected to ever leave Dallas.

Doncic believed that he was going to be a Maverick for the rest of his career, but Dumont and Nico Harrison stripped him of that dream. He wanted to win multiple titles as a Maverick and bring the city of Dallas its first championship since 2011, but Harrison and Dumont didn't agree.

They believed that Davis would give them a better shot of returning to the NBA Finals than Doncic did, and they couldn't have been more wrong. Dallas traded Davis just one year after they acquired him. On the other hand, Doncic is dominating for the Lakers and has helped lead them to a top-six seed in the Western Conference.

Dallas and Los Angeles are in completely opposite positions, and one of the best ways for the Mavericks to become contenders again would be to pair Doncic with Flagg.

Dallas has one of the brightest futures in the NBA, regardless of whether they can sign Doncic again one day, but him teaming up with Flagg would've been one of the wildest stories in NBA history. The Mavericks would've gone from trading their franchise cornerstone to helping him team up with their new one in the span of less than five years, and fans would welcome Doncic back with open arms.

A lot of things would have to happen to make this possible, but one of the things that would make this pipe dream more likely is Cuban buying the team once again. He and Doncic are still close, even after the trade, and he would've never made this move himself if he were still in charge.

Mavericks fans are going to have to accept that Patrick Dumont will remain in charge, and unless something changes, he won't be selling the team.