Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban has asked a Dallas County District Court to order a pre-suit deposition, asserting that the club’s new controlling families, the Adelsons and Dumonts, shut him out of negotiations for a planned arena and entertainment district on the former Valley View Mall site.
The filing, which specifically names team governor Patrick Dumont, claims Cuban’s businesses were contractually entitled to join the tentative real-estate agreement. The petition could become the basis for a lawsuit aimed at blocking the purchase of the Valley View property.
Cuban retained a 27 percent stake after selling majority control in 2023. In February, the Adelson and Dumont families confirmed their deal allows them to acquire another 20 percent from Cuban, a step they intend to take.
The billionaire entrepreneur also alleges that a “handshake” understanding gave him continued authority over basketball operations—an arrangement he says Dumont later ignored. “I don’t regret selling. I regret who I sold to,” Cuban said in late March.
Former Mavericks minority owner and club president Frank Zaccanelli, who brokered the 1996 sale to Ross Perot Jr. and the 2000 transfer to Cuban, questioned the legal strength of the claim. “Mark sold majority ownership and control in the team… Trying to point to some handshake deal in a $3.8 billion sale… is maybe the weakest legal position I’ve ever heard of,” he told The Dallas Morning News.
Coaching Staff Changes
New head coach Dusty May will not bring back several assistants for 2026-27, including former NBA head coach Frank Vogel, sources told DallasHoopsJournal.com. Veteran aide Phil Handy, who has a long relationship with Kyrie Irving, is staying on, and there remains a possibility that Josh Broghamer will be retained.
De Larrea Inspired by Doncic
First-round pick Sergio De Larrea, selected 25th overall in June, said he followed Dallas because of Luka Doncic. “He was, for me, my idol in my younger era,” the Valladolid-born guard told The Athletic. Doncic, now with the Lakers after a February 2025 blockbuster trade, starred for Real Madrid before entering the NBA in 2018.
Poulakidas Adds Strength
Two-way swingman John Poulakidas has bulked up during the offseason as he prepares for a more physical NBA schedule. “It’s a different league between the G League and the NBA as far as physicality and strength,” the former Yale standout said. “For me, it’s about showing I can guard multiple positions.”
The Mavericks open training camp this fall with unresolved ownership tensions, a reshuffled bench, and several young players angling for roster spots.
Source: HoopsRumors
