Mark Cuban reacts to Dallas Mavericks winning NBA Draft Lottery after Luka Doncic trade 

Mark Cuban is excited for the Dallas Mavericks after the team claimed the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery. While speaking with Front Office Sports, the Mavericks minority owner reacted to Dallas having the top pick and likely taking Cooper Flagg.

“It was just a relief,” Cuban wrote in an email to the outlet. “That it was such a crazy difficult season, one moment gave us a new energy going forward.”

The Mavericks won the draft lottery despite having just a 1.8 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick. It comes after Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, a move that surprised the NBA world.

After the trade, Mark Cuban shared his thoughts on the Mavericks trading away a top-five player. “He’s always really intense on the court,” Cuban said in an interview on the Stephen A. Smith Show in April, per CBS Sports. “Always. You see his response to the referees. You see his responses to anybody. He is intense. And while [Serbian superstar Nikola Jokić] might not be as purely emotional and I don’t get to see as many as his games, the guy is intense, you know?

Mark Cuban explains why the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic

“But when the game is over and he goes back home, he’s more interested in harness racing. Which, by the way, I grew up watching my entire life, so I don’t blame him. But they go back and they life their lives. It’s just different. And you’ve gotta accept those differences in players from that part of the world, and I think that was part of our mistake.”

Cuban became the majority owner of the Mavericks when he purchased the team on Jan. 4, 2000. He sold most of the team to the Adelson family in 2023 and still owns about 27 percent of the franchise.

If the Mavericks select Flagg in the draft, the former Duke star will join a roster that includes Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. “I am so happy for Mavericks fans,” Dallas CEO Rick Welts said, per ESPN. “I only got to Dallas Jan. 1 this year. Feb. 1, we broke the internet [with the Doncic trade]. I am just amazed at the depth of emotion and connection that the fan base has with this team. And what happened today, I can’t imagine a better day for Mavs fans. It’s going to really be something special. I can’t wait to get back to Dallas.”