Rumors emerged on Monday suggesting that a group of Dallas investors might join forces with Mark Cuban to regain control of the Dallas Mavericks from the current ownership by the Dumont/Adelson family, as reported by longtime NBA insider Mark Stein. For fans still frustrated by owner Patrick Dumont’s approval of the controversial Luka Doncic trade, this idea is intriguing—but it appears unlikely to happen.
On Wednesday, the Mavericks issued a statement to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, firmly denying any plans to sell the team. The statement affirmed, “The Dumont and Adelson families remain committed to the Dallas Mavericks franchise and the Dallas community. They remain focused on building a long-term championship organization,” further emphasizing, “The team is not for sale and the family looks forward to expanding its ownership over time.”
The key takeaway from the statement is the latter part, as Townsend explains: the Adelson/Dumont family bought 69% of the Mavericks from Cuban in 2023, while Cuban kept 27%. However, their contract includes a clause allowing the Adelson family to acquire up to another 20% from Cuban within four years, which would reduce Cuban’s stake to just 7%. In simpler terms, Cuban aims to decrease his ownership share, not increase it.
Cuban himself expressed doubt that a buyback deal would happen, telling the News he doesn’t see the ownership group selling anytime soon and that this isn’t the first time he’s been approached with such an idea. “I get asked pretty often if I could buy a team, would I want to be part of that group,” he wrote. “I say the same thing to all of them: I don’t think they’re selling well.”
This news is likely disappointing to many Mavericks fans, even as former general manager Nico Harrison steps down and Cuban appears to be more involved in basketball operations. The wait for a potential change of hands is understandable because under Cuban’s majority ownership, the team was generally competitive and stable over two decades. Although he didn’t make every decision, the team reached the NBA Finals early in the Adelsons’ tenure but has since faltered.
The Mavericks’ trade of Doncic led to risky moves, including signing aging stars Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. While Davis has since moved to the Washington Wizards, Irving remains sidelined due to an ACL injury amid a difficult 19-34 season. The only positive has been a hopeful draft lottery outcome, though success is far from guaranteed—especially given past struggles under Adelson/Dumont leadership.
Fan Take: This update matters because ownership stability deeply influences a team’s trajectory and culture. For Mavericks fans and basketball enthusiasts alike, seeing Cuban step back rather than return bigger raises questions about the franchise’s future competitiveness and the wider implications for how NBA teams are managed.
