“We hashed it out ourselves”: Mark Cuban explains his late move on draft night to land Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic, since his selection in the 2018 NBA draft, has positioned himself as one of the poster boys of the league. With his finesse on the court, the Slovenian has inserted himself into the MVP discussion alongside Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

However, the trajectory for the Mavericks could have been vastly different if Mark Cuban hadn’t taken matters into his own hands on the pivotal draft night in 2018. The “Shark Tank” entrepreneur recently disclosed the behind-the-scenes details of the Mavericks’ draft strategy and how they secured Doncic’s arrival in Dallas instead of elsewhere.

Mark Cuban reveals last moment decision over Luka Doncic on draft night

The Mavericks’ minority shareholder, Mark Cuban, revealed how he had to contact the Hawks owner at the last moment to acquire superstar Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft. During his recent interaction with Warriors’ defensive mastermind Draymond Green on “The Draymond Green Show,” Cuban unveiled stories from his life, and Doncic’s drafting was one of the topics that came up.

The billionaire started off by saying that there was a battle between two players for their draft choice: Deandre Ayton was the No. 1 choice of the Mavs scouts, while Doncic was the analytical department’s top bet.

Disclosing the events that followed, Cuban said, “We hear that the Hawks want Trae. The General Managers are talking and talking but not getting done. About 30 minutes to go; it’s coming up to our time. And so, I ended up getting on the phone with the Hawks owner, and we hashed it out ourselves. And about 15 minutes before our pick, we got it done.”

The Mavericks should thank their star alignment and Cuban, who helped them in getting the Slovenian guard drafted with his direct approach. Since then, Doncic has become the backbone of the franchise and has been dropping marvelous performances in every game, taking the team’s offense on his shoulder and enjoying his sixth season alongside his batman.

Luka Doncic drops MVP-esque performance to confirm Mavs’ post-season berth

Despite a sloppy start, the Dallas Mavericks have pulled themselves together in the latter half of the season. With Doncic on their side contributing massive numbers and flawless passes, the franchise won their 46th game of the season.

Following a disappointing loss to the outstanding Golden State side, the Mavs squad looked stronger and more united against the Atlanta Hawks. Taking the home-court advantage Doncic scored 25 points, snagged 12 rebounds, and distributed 8 assists on Thursday night.

The 5-time All-Star scored all his points in the second half, failing to score anything in the first, making it extra special and proving Luka’s worth as an MVP contender. Kyrie Irving, who is in his monstrous phase, chipped in with a game-high 26 points in the 109-95 win, securing the franchise’s post-season berth.

Despite Tracy McGrady’s assessment that the Mavs do not have enough pieces to lay their hands on the Larry O’Brien Trophy, Kyrie Irving’s support to Doncic is proving to be a deciding factor in their title chase.

With the extra incentive of a record-breaking contract on its way, Doncic certainly possesses enough ammunition to guide the 5th-seeded Western team to their second championship ring.