Postgame Show: The Trade That Just Keeps Getting Worse

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: Postgame Show: The Trade That Just Keeps Getting Worse
Date: April 1, 2026
Hosts & Contributors: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Mike Ryan, Greg Anthony, Colin Cowherd, Tony Reali, Amin Elhassan, Domonique Foxworth, Jason Kidd (referenced)

Main Theme:
This episode revolves around two central storylines: the fallout from the highly controversial Mavericks trade that sent franchise star Luka Dončić to the Lakers (and brought in Anthony Davis), and Mark Cuban’s attempts to distance himself from the consequences—despite still owning a significant share in the team. The crew’s characteristic banter and irreverent humor are on display as they dissect the complexities of team loyalty, ownership blame, and “crater trades” that change the course of an entire franchise.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jalen Hurts & Eagles Drama

[00:17 – 01:09]

• Colin Cowherd introduces a breaking ESPN story: Jalen Hurts may be to blame for the Philadelphia Eagles’ stagnant offense according to Jeremy Fowler.
• Suggestion that rumors about A.J. Brown’s departure were more about NFL economics and timing rather than locker room discord.
• Insight that the Eagles’ issues might be deeper, potentially stemming from Hurts rather than Brown.

“It is a story critical of Jalen Hurts... sources say he has a hand in the Eagles offense becoming calcified and frustrations have grown.” — Colin Cowherd [00:20]

2. Mavericks’ Trade Fallout and Mark Cuban’s Role

[01:39 – 07:22]

a. Viral Moment & Show Banter

• Mike Ryan is the subject of an embarrassing, now-viral, reversed video, leading to mockery from the crew.
• The lighthearted segment sets the tone before diving deep into the sports discussion.

b. The “Crater Trade”

• Discussion transitions into the infamous Mavericks trade: Luka Dončić traded for Anthony Davis.
• The trade is universally panned—Davis has been injury-prone and underperformed, while Luka is thriving with the Lakers.

"Luke is now the mvp. He's in his prime. He's doing all the things for the Lakers he should have been doing for the Mavericks. And what you traded for... was Anthony Davis, who didn't play for you so much that he has fewer points as a Maverick than Luca has this month as a Laker." — Greg Anthony [02:53]

• Mark Cuban, who once safeguarded the Mavs, sold the team for a huge profit but now seeks to dissociate himself from the disastrous trade.

"He now regrets selling it to [this ownership group] because it makes him look best to distance himself from everything that happened there when he caused it." — Greg Anthony [03:20]

c. Ownership and Accountability

• Cuban’s attempt to frame himself as regretful of whom he sold to—not that he sold—is dissected.
• The crew questions how one can both retain a 27% stake and claim innocence.
• Comedy in the fact that Cuban wants to avoid blame yet is financially and historically tied to the decision-making.

"How can you distance yourself? You're partners with them. These are your business partners." — Tony Reali [03:55]

d. Fanbase Trauma & “Crater” Comparisons

• The Mavericks’ fanbase is described as deeply hurt, likening the deal to the most infamous trades in sports history (Babe Ruth, Miguel Cabrera).
• The notion of the “franchise-altering betrayal” is invoked.

"There are only a handful of these in the history of professional basketball... your franchise never gets up from because you've betrayed... the customer's emotional relationship with a superstar in his prime." — Colin Cowherd [04:19]

e. Cooper Flag as Consolation

• Discussion of Cooper Flag, the highly touted young star now on the Mavericks, in contrast to Dončić’s legend.
• Even with promising new players and a potential lottery pick, the void left by Luka is highlighted as irreplaceable.

"Cooper Flag's not that. Cooper Flag will never be that. And I mean that is no indictment of Cooper Flag." — Greg Anthony [05:33]

f. Mark Cuban’s Percent of Blame

• Debate whether Cuban bears “27% of the blame” because of his retained share.
• The unresolved question: does his partial ownership mitigate or cement his responsibility for the disastrous trade?

"Mark Cuban is clearly trying to distance himself from something while literally owning 27% of the blame." — Greg Anthony [06:42]
"Once you sell the team to people who don't care about basketball, it risks this result... Does 27% of the blame go to him forever?" — Greg Anthony [07:01]

• Domonique Foxworth notes Cuban’s public claim he was left out of the decision and would have prevented it, thus questioning direct culpability.

"That's what he's always been saying is like, hey, they never consulted me on this. If they had, I would have talked them out of it." — Domonique Foxworth [07:22]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 00:20 | Colin Cowherd | “Despite his immense success, sources say [Jalen Hurts] has a hand in the Eagles offense becoming calcified and frustrations have grown.” | | 02:53 | Greg Anthony | “Luke is now the mvp... And what you traded for... was Anthony Davis, who didn't play for you so much that he has fewer points as a Maverick than Luca has this month as a Laker.” | | 03:20 | Greg Anthony | “[Mark Cuban] now regrets selling it to because it makes him look best to distance himself from everything that happened there when he caused it.” | | 03:55 | Tony Reali | “How can you distance yourself? You're partners with them. These are your business partners.” | | 04:19 | Colin Cowherd | “There are only a handful of these in the history of professional basketball where... your franchise never gets up from because you've betrayed the customer's emotional relationship ...” | | 05:33 | Greg Anthony | “Cooper Flag's not that. Cooper Flag will never be that. And I mean that is no indictment of Cooper Flag.” | | 06:42 | Greg Anthony | “Mark Cuban is clearly trying to distance himself from something while literally owning 27% of the blame.” | | 07:01 | Greg Anthony | “Once you sell the team to people who don't care about basketball, it risks this result... Does 27% of the blame go to him forever?” | | 07:22 | Domonique Foxworth | “That's what he's always been saying is like, hey, they never consulted me on this. If they had, I would have talked them out of it.” |

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Segment Timestamps for Key Topics

• Jalen Hurts & Eagles discussion: 00:17 – 01:09
• Banter and viral video segment: 01:09 – 02:39
• Dissection of the Luka–Davis trade: 02:39 – 05:39
• Cooper Flag and Mavericks future: 05:39 – 06:16
• Mark Cuban's responsibility & ownership debate: 06:16 – 07:22

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Conclusion

This episode is a blend of the show’s signature irreverence and sharp sports analysis. The team uses a humor-laced but honest lens to examine ownership, accountability, and the emotional impact of titanically poor sports management decisions—most pointedly in the case of the Mavericks’ blockbuster Luka Dončić trade, a move now regarded as the archetype of a “crater trade.” Their collective voice highlights how, even as an owner distances himself, sports fans' wounds remain fresh, and the consequences linger for years.

If you missed the episode, this breakdown delivers the essence: heartbreak for Mavericks fans, skepticism of Mark Cuban’s distancing tactics, and a healthy mixture of in-jokes, analogies, and classic banter.

Transcript

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[Colin Cowherd]

There's a new ESPN story making the rounds and this is interesting because it is a story critical of Jalen Hurts. And a tweet from Jeremy Fowler reports that Jalen Hurts stands at a crossroads. Despite his immense success, sources say he has a hand in the Eagles offense becoming calcified and frustrations have grown. I assume that everything the Eagles were saying recently about A.J. brown, that A.J. brown remains an Eagle, is just because of the calendar year in the NFL and the benefits of getting rid of A.J. brown after June 1. But this suggests, at least in part, that they may side with the idea that A.J. brown's not the problem, that Jalen Hurts is more of the problem. Unfortunately, I can't get to this story

[Greg Anthony]

in real time as the news breaks because an hour after it was funny, the video team now has found Mike Ryan doing the pantomime of trying to take a gummy rectally. And they have now finally found the

[Mike Ryan]

technology to reverse the video. And now, indeed we do have video that makes it look like Mike Ryan is wiping his butt and then smelling it. So thank you to the video team for a full 90. Intrigued, Tony is a full 90 minutes after this was funny, the video team finally did betray Mike. Mike, how do you feel about what's happened here?

[Colin Cowherd]

It is embarrassing for you to be portrayed this way. The Internet is forever.

[Tony Reali]

Yep. You're just gonna get a worse me from here on out. I don't know why I try to help. You're the one that said the stupid thing. You did say the stupid thing, entertainer. Yeah, that was stupid what you said. Un entertaining.

[Mike Ryan]

Roy, you got in there very aggressive

[Amin Elhassan]

first words all day.

[Mike Ryan]

You got, you got. You thought the best thing to say to me to punctuate today's happenings, you thought was to look at me in the face and just say, yeah, that was stupid.

[Tony Reali]

Yeah, but I'm the punchline. Sorry, smell in your hand, I'm eating poop.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, I've been trying for the last hour to get to you on Mark Cuban saying now because you don't get, you don't get in basketball.

[Greg Anthony]

The story of GM's incompetent. What a fool.

[Mike Ryan]

Trade gets made.

[Greg Anthony]

Everyone's shocked.

[Mike Ryan]

Luke is now the mvp. He's in his prime. He's doing all the things for the Lakers he should have been doing for the Mavericks. And what you traded for without checking

[Greg Anthony]

around the league was Anthony Davis, who didn't play for you so much that he has fewer points as a Maverick

[Colin Cowherd]

than Luca has this month as a Laker.

[Greg Anthony]

Generally, things don't play out that neatly. So Mark Cuban, who none of us would dispute, care deeply about the Mavs franchise, sold it for the biggest bag of money to a group of people

[Colin Cowherd]

he now regrets selling it to because

[Greg Anthony]

it makes him look best to distance himself from everything that happened there when he caused it.

[Domonique Foxworth]

I love how he does this thing. It's almost like he's doing his own version of Pablo Torre. Finds out where he just lives this little bread crumbs, right? So the last thing he said was, I don't regret selling. I regret who I sold to. I made a lot of mistakes in the process. And I'll leave it at that. I'm like, no, you can't just leave it at that.

[Tony Reali]

This is a little awkward because he's still got a substantial stake in the Maverick.

[Greg Anthony]

27%, correct?

[Tony Reali]

Yeah.

[Amin Elhassan]

He's just trying to distance himself from that trade.

[Tony Reali]

How can you distance yourself? You're partners with them. These are your business partners.

[Domonique Foxworth]

My favorite part is that Jason Kidd was asked about it. When can we move on? Poor Jason Kidd. He's just like, I don't wanna talk about this anymore. He's like, I respect Mark. He's done a lot for my family. But, like, I don't wanna talk about this anymore. I just wanna move on.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, when can we move on? I mean, when it happened. You said this is a crater trade.

[Greg Anthony]

This is a.

[Colin Cowherd]

There are only a handful of these in the history of professional basketball where it's something your franchise never gets up from because you've betrayed the.

[Greg Anthony]

You've betrayed a misunderstanding of what the

[Colin Cowherd]

customer's emotional relationship is with a superstar in his prime.

[Greg Anthony]

When can we get over this? When Luke is not scoring 600 points in a month for another team.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, but Cooper Flag looks great, right? So it's like the. The push and pull of, all right, we lost Luca, but now we have Cooper Flag, and things are okay. Better.

[Jason Kidd]

They're.

[Amin Elhassan]

They're decent.

[Jason Kidd]

They're okay.

[Amin Elhassan]

They're all right.

[Greg Anthony]

Are the Mavs okay? Cause they got Cooper Flag. Like, are they.

[Amin Elhassan]

Imagine where they'd be without that 1% that they got.

[Jason Kidd]

But you can't blame Jason Kidd for saying, let's move on, right?

[Greg Anthony]

Oh, but I'm saying we won't move on because you don't get Crater trades where you trade a superstar in his prime. For a player who now plays for the Wizards, like that's.

[Domonique Foxworth]

Well, plays is using very general terms.

[Greg Anthony]

Fair enough. And, and Wizards is also using a wrong term.

[Mike Ryan]

Like the whole sentence is flawed.

[Greg Anthony]

But Anthony Davis, the. Look, man, I mean, if you're a Mavs fan and you get up in the morning cuz you didn't watch the west coast games and you see what Luca did this month, you're not like,

[Mike Ryan]

when is this over?

[Greg Anthony]

Cooper Flag's not that. Cooper Flag will never be that. And I mean that is no indictment of Cooper Flag.

[Domonique Foxworth]

Then they're going to have a lottery pick in this lottery. They could add someone amazing to Cooper Flag and this thing that they're creating and building in Dallas, which by the way, I, I told you guys months ago, if you're the Mavericks, you have to tank this season. This is the one season because they don't own their picks moving forward. This is the one draft that they have it and it happens to be an amazing draft. And guess what the Mavericks did. They said, you know what that Amino Hassan got, He's onto something.

[Colin Cowherd]

Greg, what does Mark Cuban have to do or what is he doing to change the punctuation on whatever his relationship is with Mavs fans who blame him for this?

[Greg Anthony]

Because you guys can offer all that perspective you like, but it just doesn't account for the amount of hurt in a customer base when you betray them with this betrayal, which is never a

[Colin Cowherd]

betrayal that a customer base gets hit with.

[Greg Anthony]

I don't know if this is trading Babe Ruth or Miguel Cabrera or whatever it is you would compare it to in the history of sports, but there are very few comps for what you

[Colin Cowherd]

did to this fan base.

[Greg Anthony]

And Mark Cuban is clearly trying to distance himself from something while literally owning 27% of the blame.

[Jason Kidd]

But that's not the majority. If, if he didn't, if he wasn't for this trade, in favor of this trade, then why are you blaming him for it? Or are you suggesting that he was privately?

[Greg Anthony]

Once you sell, once you sell the team to people who don't care about basketball, it risks this result. Like the Maz fans would like to blame everybody. Mark Cuban is saying what you're saying. No blame goes to me. I'm asking Amin and the rest of you, does 27% of the blame go to him forever?

[Domonique Foxworth]

Well, no, because he was left out of the decision making. That's what he's always been saying is like, hey, they never consulted me on this. If they had, I would have talked them out of it.