The Dallas Mavericks shocked the sports world when they traded five-time All-NBA star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package led by superstar forward Anthony Davis. A wave of shock and disbelief swept across social media on Sunday morning as fans, media, executives, and players all grappled with the stunning news of the unexpected transaction.

Per an expansive report by Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon, the departure of Mark Cuban as majority owner in December 2023 led to this monumental move that has the potential to change the trajectory of NBA history.

“By far the biggest change in Dallas, though, was Cuban's December 2023 decision to sell his majority stake in the team to casino magnates, the Adelson family, and turn leadership of the franchise over to team governor Patrick Dumont,” the report said. “Cuban had developed a strong bond with Doncic since acquiring him in a draft-day trade with the Atlanta Hawks in 2018.

“He'd famously joked that if he had to ‘choose between my wife and keeping Luka on the Mavs, catch me at my lawyer's office prepping for a divorce.'”

Cuban's close relationship with Doncic and his belief that he would be the Mavericks' next cornerstone star like Dirk Nowitzki wasn't able to keep Doncic a part of the team now that he isn't a decision-maker within the franchise.

Without a similarly close relationship with Doncic, Dumont appeared to not be opposed to the trade that Dallas general manager Nico Harrison engineered in secrecy with the Lakers' Rob Pelinka.

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“He saw it as a business decision that would preserve the Mavericks financial flexibility long term, team sources said, and trusted Harrison's vision of how Davis would be a culture-setter and give the team a new defensive-minded identity,” the report said.

Luka Doncic was eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million super-max extension and made no indications that he wouldn't sign it or that he wanted to leave the Mavericks. Even in his open letter to fans that Doncic shared on his social media accounts, he indicated that he wanted to stay in Dallas long term.

“Seven years ago I came here as a teenager to pursue my dream of playing basketball at the highest level. I thought I'd spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship. The love and support you all have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed of,” Doncic said in the letter.

The Mavericks' front office and ownership now face the challenge of addressing fans' frustration after their franchise star left the team before reaching his prime. This departure comes just months after he led the team to their first NBA Finals appearance since their stunning 2011 victory over LeBron James and Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat.

While Anthony Davis will help keep the team competitive for the rest of the season, the long-term direction of the franchise remains uncertain following this move.