“15 Minutes Before the Pick!”: Mark Cuban Details How Luka Doncic to the Mavericks Was Finalized Over Last Second Phone Call

In his time in the NBA, Luka Doncic has been a special basketball player. Going 3rd in the 2018 NBA draft, Luka has become a force that no one in the NBA was ready for. As a prospect, he was highly touted, but scouts preferred not to give Luka his deserved ranking due to the “European Bust” mentality. However, that played perfectly into the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban recently sat down with Matt Barnes and Steven Jackson on the show All The Smoke. While on the show, Cuban was asked about his experience drafting Luka. Responding to the question, he said the following.

“We tried and tried and tried and it was like 15 minutes to go before our pick and I called the owner at Atlanta,” Cuban said. “‘I’m like you’re not picking Luka and you know the guy you want so let’s just do this deal because he’ll be there for you.”‘

Cuban and Hawks owner Anthony Ressler would end up trading their picks, as The Dallas Mavericks ended up getting Luka( who was drafted by Atlanta at the 3rd), while the Hawks received a future star too, in Trae Young (drafted by Mavs at the fifth spot). The Hawks wouldn’t leave the deal empty-handed, as Atlanta would also receive a first-round draft pick, with which that drafted Cam Reddish.

Trade with no losses

Luka Doncic and Trae Young are two players that can single-handedly win you games. Though many people call Luka the better player, the difference between the two players isn’t all that vast. Last year Trae averaged 26.2 points, and 10.2 assists on 45% shooting from the floor. These stats are impressive, especially since Young would lead Atlanta to the Conference Finals in the 2021 NBA playoffs, before falling to the eventual champs (The Milwaukee Bucks) in six games.

As for Luka, the script is a little sweeter. Luka would begin his playoff campaign against the Clippers in 2019. Luka in his debut performance would break the playoff debut record with a 42-point bomb. Doncic and the Mavs would lose that series in 6 games but would return a year later to return the favor. The next year, Luka would win the Mavericks to the Conference finals, where they would lose to the eventual Champions, The Golden State Warriors.

Just looking at the two-star guards, it’s obvious that Luka and Trae are head and shoulders above their draft class. The trajectory of both players seems pretty similar, but with the Mavs playing great basketball this season, it’s interesting to see if Luka can either bag the MVP or a Championship this season.