One storyline for the Dallas Mavericks in recent weeks has been the outspoken support of former team owner Mark Cuban for the Los Angeles Clippers as they deal with the ongoing Kawhi Leonard no-show deal scandal. Cuban has repeatedly gone to bat for Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, frequently contradicting himself by claiming that Ballmer didn't do what he was accused of, and that even if he did, what he was accused of isn't even that bad.
During a recent appearance on Pablo Torre Finds Out, Cuban took the latter approach.
“It's possible that Luka had a side deal with Chime and you wouldn't know about it?” asked Torre, who broke the Clippers story originally.
“I would have no idea. I wouldn't care,” said Cuban.
“What if you were aware that the camp of the guy who signed the deal had a history of allegedly asking for things that the rules don't allow?” wondered Torre.
“The only time I really inserted myself in those types of situations was if I thought it was a product that was not good for Mavs fans and our people would come to me and say, ‘Hey, we think you might have questions about this. You know, it's a supplement deal or it's, you know, a sports drink deal that's, say, doing something funky,'” said Cuban.
A big scandal for the NBA
Cuban's support for Ballmer and the Clippers has made many fans wonder if the former Mavericks owner might have something of his own to hide, although nothing has materialized on that front as of yet.
It was shortly after Cuban departed from the Mavericks that the team made the disastrous decision to trade Luka Doncic, although the team restored some order by lucking into the chance to draft Cooper Flagg, which Nico Harrison falsely attributed to his long-term “vision” after the fact.
In any case, the Mavericks are set to kick off their 2025-26 season at home against the San Antonio Spurs on October 22, while the Clippers will begin things that same evening on the road against the Utah Jazz.
