"Do what you gotta do, I want to win.”: Mark Cuban goes big on Mavs, drops $3,461,696 luxury tax bomb

Mark Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks have not won an NBA title since 2011. The Mavericks pulled off one of the biggest upsets in championship history when they beat LeBron James’ “Heatles.” Now, it seems Cuban is looking to go back to the big stage.

Following the Mavericks’ controversial elimination from play-in contention, Cuban wanted to retool the roster. The billionaire played Luka Doncic for only a few minutes and sidelined Kyrie Irving to get better draft lottery chances.

Dallas ended with Dereck Lively II, a rim-running and defensive stalwart from Duke. Mark Cuban also added Grant Williams, Seth Curry, Richaun Holmes, and Derrick Jones Jr. and re-signed key players such as Irving.

When asked about potential luxury tax fines, Mark Cuban simply answered (via Landon Thomas):

“They basically said do what you gotta do, I want to win.”

Building a star-studded roster, though, has become a big challenge with the introduction of the second apron in the collective bargaining agreement. The rule was implemented to push for better parity in basketball competition. Small-market teams will have improved chances of putting up a roster that can battle the big-spending teams.

The Dallas Mavericks payroll is $161,832,304, which is $3,461,696 below the luxury tax threshold ($165,294,000). Dallas’ governor has built an already competitive team that is fifth in the Western Conference with an 18-12 record.

As the Mavericks are still below the luxury tax line, they still have excellent flexibility in reconstructing the lineup.

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Mark Cuban may have to re-evaluate his team before the trade deadline

Mark Cuban wanted to improve the Dallas Mavericks defense for the 2023-24 campaign. Last season, they went into a tailspin after the trade deadline for their inability to stop opponents. Luka Doncic was so frustrated with how the team performed on that end of the floor.

Cuban’s offseason additions were mainly for defense, rebounding and a little bit of shooting. The roster changes have not helped them much on the defensive end. They are 23rd in defensive efficiency and 24th in rebounding. The billionaire knows his team can’t make a big noise in the playoffs if it can’t defend well and secure possessions.

There are several options that Mark Cuban can go to. He could try to bring in Alex Caruso, the Chicago Bulls’ defensive whiz. They could even try to reunite with Dorian Finney-Smith, who was sent to the Brooklyn Nets in the Kyrie Irving deal.

Cuban has claimed that he’s all about winning. Mavericks fans will be watching closely to see if he keeps his word about luxury tax fines and builds a better and stronger team.