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10 April 2019, US, Dallas: Basketball: NBA, Main Round, 81st Matchday, Dallas Mavericks – Phoenix Suns at Amercian Airlines Center. Marc Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Dirk Nowitzki after his last home game. Photo: Philipp Hülsmann/dpa (Photo by Philipp Hülsmann/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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10 April 2019, US, Dallas: Basketball: NBA, Main Round, 81st Matchday, Dallas Mavericks – Phoenix Suns at Amercian Airlines Center. Marc Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Dirk Nowitzki after his last home game. Photo: Philipp Hülsmann/dpa (Photo by Philipp Hülsmann/picture alliance via Getty Images)
In the 1996 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns selected Steve Nash, only to let him walk away after two seasons. The Dallas Mavericks pounced on that opportunity and then paired him with a rookie Dirk Nowitzki. And within a couple of seasons, they showed promise.
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Despite the duo excelling together, they couldn’t go beyond the Western Conference Finals in 2003. So after a first-round exit in the following season, the Mavs decided against bringing back Nash. But owner Mark Cuban recently admitted how much he regrets that decision.
Cuban said, “That’s my biggest mistake ever. Not even close, my biggest mistake ever. He had been injured the year before and his minutes were declining, and our doctor was like, ‘He may have some issues.’ And coach [Don Nelson] was like, ‘He may have some issues.’ So we made him what we thought was a great offer, but then Phoenix came in and just beat that offer… Nash hated me for a long time because of it… We’re good now.”
On @EtanThomas36's "The Rematch," Mark Cuban (@mcuban) said that he regrets letting Steve Nash leave the Mavericks to sign with the Suns.
"That's my biggest mistake ever. Not even close, it's my biggest mistake ever. Nash hated me for a long time because of it. We're good now." pic.twitter.com/diIn2vMZdj
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) October 31, 2020
After six seasons with Dallas, Nash then returned to the Suns. In this second stint at Phoenix, Nash won two MVPs, but he never managed to win a title.
ALSO READ – Steve Nash Opens up on Reuniting with Mike D’Antoni at Brooklyn Nets
Would the Nash – Nowitzki duo have won the title for the Dallas Mavericks?
Back in 2019, Nash said that the Mavs would have won a title if he was still playing on the team. He said:
“Would we have won a championship? Of course. Why not? I mean, you never know. Keeping me in Dallas wouldn’t have really affected their salary cap situation. They still would have been able to bring in the other guys they brought in, for the most part. I think it would have been interesting.”
While this is just speculation, having two MVP caliber players on the team is always deadly. Had Nash been with the team for that 2011 run, the Mavs would have certainly been stronger. They may have even been able to win a title or two more.
In their six seasons together, Nowitzki and Nash were one of the most entertaining duos in the league. There have been many guard-big man duos in the league, but no other duo had the shooting ability that these two had. This is yet another addition to the ‘what ifs’ list of the NBA.
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