Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said Friday he was informed of the team’s blockbuster 2025 trade involving Luka Doncic just moments before it became public, describing the timing as the “11th hour” as he addressed recent criticism from former owner Mark Cuban.
Speaking at a shootaround Friday morning, Kidd pushed back on Cuban’s comments earlier this week expressing regret over selling the franchise and questioning the controversial deal that sent Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kidd also voiced support for the Mavericks’ current ownership, saying “that we have the best owner in the league.”
Jason Kidd says he learned of Luka Doncic trade at “11th hour”
When asked if he felt blindsided by the trade, Kidd said the description was fair.
“Blindsided, maybe, that’s a good way to put it,” Kidd said. “When I found out about it, I just looked at it as this is Cuban, and he has a right to his opinion. But I’m here to tell you the truth… they found out at the 11th hour.”
Kidd detailed the moment he learned of the move, saying he was called into a meeting with now-former general manager Nico Harrison shortly before the deal was set to go public.
“The time that I was called to see Nico… and to be told that there would be a trade that was going to go public at 11:00, that’s what happened,” Kidd said. “I waited till 11:00, and in that trade, the world changed.”
Kidd added that his focus quickly shifted to managing the roster transition.
“As a head coach, I had to, you know, understand there’s players leaving and there’s players coming in, and that’s how I thought as a head coach,” he said.
Jason Kidd responds to Mark Cuban’s regret over Mavericks sale
His comments come days after Cuban, who sold a majority stake in the Mavericks to the Adelson family, said on a podcast he regretted how the sale unfolded and criticized the decision-making that led to Doncic’s departure.
Cuban said he learned the trade had already been finalized when Harrison contacted him, and that he disagreed with the reasoning behind it, calling it “a mistake.”
He also defended Doncic’s performance despite criticism about conditioning, saying the star guard’s ability to deliver in clutch moments made him indispensable.
The trade, approved under new team governor Patrick Dumont, has remained one of the most debated moves in recent NBA history, according to sports analysts, with lingering questions about communication within the organization and the long-term direction of the franchise.
