Mark Cuban continues to have seller’s remorse.
Earlier this year, Marc Stein reported an unidentified group wanted to partner with Cuban in an attempt to buy the Mavericks back from the Adelson family. Cuban sold 73% of the team to the Adelsons in December 2023 and watched the team trade away Luka Dončić to the Lakers in February 2025.
Front Office Sports recently asked Cuban whether he wanted to buy the team back.
“If there was any chance of being able to do that anymore I would, but that’s just not the game anymore,” Cuban told FOS on a forthcoming episode of Portfolio Players.
Cuban still owns 27% of the team, but the terms of the sale give the Adelsons the right to buy another 20% of the Mavericks within four years of the deal, which would leave him with just 7% afterward.
Cuban has been outspoken about the trade and direction of the franchise since he sold his majority stake. He recounted precisely what happened with the reported investors who sought him out.
“What happened was a bunch of people had contacted me; they weren’t happy with the way things were,” Cuban told FOS. “And I was like, ‘Look, if you can get them to sell, I would be more than happy to contribute my equity, et cetera, et cetera, and help.’ But I didn’t expect that to materialize. I told them I didn’t think it would happen, that I didn’t think the Adelsons had any interest in selling. And they don’t.”
In March, Cuban told the Intersections podcast that he regretted selling the Mavericks to the Adelsons, but he didn’t acknowledge his interest in buying the team back.
“I don’t regret selling,” Cuban said. “I regret who I sold to. I made a lot of mistakes in the process, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Cuban sold the team to the family of Miriam Adelson, the doctor and Republican donor whose net worth is roughly $35 billion. The Adelson fortune comes from the casino empire her late husband, Sheldon, founded in Las Vegas and Asia.
Miriam Adelson’s son-in-law, Patrick Dumont, is now the CEO of Sands Inc. and the governor of the Mavericks.
“The Dumont and Adelson families remain fully committed to the Dallas Mavericks franchise and to the Dallas community,” the family said in a statement after the Stein report. “They remain focused on building a championship organization for the long term.
“The team is not for sale and the families look forward to expanding their ownership stake over time.”
Would Cuban Buy a Different NBA Team?
The 67-year-old also didn’t rule out buying another NBA team, but he said geography would be a factor.
“I would, only because I want to prove, right…” Cuban said, before interrupting himself to clarify, “if it was a warm weather team. I wouldn’t want a cold-weather team, because flying from Dallas to where it’s freezing cold, I just couldn’t handle it.”
He also admitted he’d struggle to buy a team on the open market.
“If it was a warm-weather team I would seriously consider it. But if it was a put out to bid, if you’re the best bid, yeah, probably not.”
