The Dallas Mavericks just had the luckiest day in franchise history. By the grace of a few bouncing ping-pong balls, they jumped up in the NBA Draft lottery and landed the No. 1 overall pick in Duke’s Cooper Flagg. And after a season that saw them trade Luka Dončić and face a fan revolt, this should have been the start of something new with a clean slate. But this is the Dallas Mavericks. And nothing is ever that simple. Recent comments from minority owner Mark Cuban have already shifted attention back to the team’s leadership and internal dynamics.
The moment that pulled back the curtain came not in a press conference, but in a fiery exchange on X. It started with Cuban taking a strong stance against the new Medicaid bill proposed by President Trump, tweeting, “The best way to reduce the cost of Medicaid is to name and shame big employers that pay their full time employees so little, they qualify for Medicaid.” It was a classic Cuban tweet—bold, opinionated, and designed to start a conversation.
A user named Tanner Maxx pushed back with a reasonable economic counterpoint. “If you pay low skilled workers… more,” he wrote, “Then prices will go up… adding 20% to your payroll would probably add 3-5% inflation on the goods. Is this ok?” And then Cuban, in a moment of shocking candor, made it personal. “When I found out I had employees at our arena on public assistance, I immediately gave raises to every hourly employee and their managers,” Cuban confessed. “I was embarrassed that was the case. It’s just wrong.”
For Mavericks fans, that one word—“embarrassed”—was everything. It was a stunning admission of a massive blind spot, a confirmation of what they have been screaming for months: that the front office, from the owner on down, doesn’t have a feel for the reality on the ground.
However, amidst all this, Cuban appears to be searching for a new beginning — one centered around size, versatility, and a generational talent in Cooper Flagg. In an interview, he shared a text he had sent to head coach Jason Kidd, saying, “I’m like, point guard, point guard, let him bring the ball up. We have 6’8″, 6’9″, right? … He’s an NBA 6’11”. So, yeah, you know, got Cooper at point guard… We got the biggest team in the NBA. I mean, we can play all types of games.”
(Developing story …)
The post Mark Cuban Turns Adviser for Jason Kidd After Embarrassing Confession on Mavs Employees appeared first on EssentiallySports.
