Jason Kidd Says He Learned Of Luka Trade At The 11th Hour, Pushes Back On Cuban Sale Regret

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said he learned about the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers at the “11th hour,” describing the timing as everything happened only moments before the move became public. His remarks came as he responded to criticism from former owner Mark Cuban, who recently said he regretted how the franchise sale was handled and questioned the decision that led to Doncic’s departure.

Kidd addressed the issue during a Friday shootaround and said the trade caught him at a crucial moment, even if he tried to stay focused on the team’s next steps. He also expressed support for the Mavericks’ current ownership, saying the organization has “the best owner in the league,” while making clear that the internal communication around the deal left a major impression.

Kidd says the trade reached him at the last possible moment

When asked whether the trade blindsided him, Kidd did not reject that description. He said the timing was so close to the public announcement that the news effectively arrived at the final stage before the deal became official.

Kidd said he was called into a meeting with then-general manager Nico Harrison shortly before the trade was set to go public. He recalled waiting until the scheduled announcement time, and then seeing how quickly the situation changed for the franchise.

According to Kidd, he learned that the trade would be announced at 11:00, and he described that moment as the point when “the world changed.” His comments suggested that the coaching staff had little time to prepare for the roster shake-up before it became public.

How Kidd described his reaction to the sudden move

Kidd said his first instinct was to separate personal reaction from the responsibilities of coaching. He explained that his focus had to shift immediately to the players who were leaving and the players who were coming in.

That approach reflected the practical reality of the trade, which altered the team’s roster and long-term direction in a single move. For Kidd, the challenge was not only the loss of a star player, but also the need to manage a sudden transition in the locker room.

1. The trade was communicated shortly before it became public.
2. Kidd said he was brought into a meeting with Nico Harrison.
3. He described the timing as the “11th hour.”
4. He said the coaching staff had to adjust quickly to roster changes.

Kidd pushes back on Cuban’s criticism

Kidd’s response also came after Cuban publicly revisited the franchise sale and the Doncic deal. On a podcast earlier in the week, Cuban said he regretted how the sale unfolded and argued that the decision-making around the trade was flawed.

Cuban said he did not learn the trade details until Harrison contacted him, and he called the move a mistake. He also defended Doncic’s value, saying the star guard’s ability in clutch moments outweighed concerns raised about conditioning.

Kidd did not directly engage with every part of Cuban’s criticism, but he made clear that Cuban was entitled to his opinion. He said he viewed the comments through the lens of someone who once owned the team, while emphasizing that the facts of when the trade was communicated remained unchanged.

Why the deal still draws attention

The Doncic trade remains one of the most debated moves in recent NBA memory because of both the timing and the scale of its impact. It also raised questions about communication inside the organization after the deal was approved under new team governor Patrick Dumont.

Sports analysts have continued to point to the trade as a defining moment for the Mavericks, not only because of Doncic’s stature, but also because of what it revealed about the franchise’s decision-making process. The lingering scrutiny shows how a single roster move can reshape public trust, ownership perception, and the team’s competitive outlook at the same time.

Kidd’s remarks added another layer to the discussion by confirming how late he learned of the trade and by underscoring that the coaching staff had to react in real time. That context keeps the Mavericks under close attention as the organization continues to deal with the fallout from one of the league’s most controversial transactions.