Cuban’s Involvement on “Shark Tank” Cost Him Deron Williams
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NBA via New Jersey Nets(NEW YORK) — During the offseason, the Dallas Mavericks heavily pursued then free agent Deron Williams. Williams wound up resigning with the Nets, and Williams says Mavericks’ owner Marc Cubans absence during the recruitment process damaged the team’s chances of signing him.
The Mavericks sent coach Rick Carlisle, president of basketball operations Don Nelson, and front office assistant/former Mavericks player Michael Finley in an attempt to bring Williams to Big D. Cuban was unable to take part in the recruitment process because he was busy filming episodes of the ABC show Shark Tank in California.
“I think (Cuban) would have been able to answer a lot of the questions me and my agent have for him that really didn’t get answered that day pertaining to the future,” Williams said. “And I think if he was there he would have been able to answer those questions a little bit better. It maybe would have helped me.”
Last season, the Mavericks stripped down their roster in an attempt to clear cap space and sign a high-priced free agent like Williams, who is a Texas native. The Mavericks wound up striking out on every big-name free agent and trade target.
The 28-year-old wound up signing a five-year contract with the Nets for $98 million.
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