Rick Welts will step down as chief executive of the Dallas Mavericks when 2026 ends, and team president Ethan Casson will take over the job on Jan. 1, 2027, the franchise announced Wednesday.
Welts, 73, is a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member who came out of retirement to run the team. Governor Patrick Dumont hired him to replace Cynt Marshall, and he started in January 2025. His last day is Dec. 31. Casson will also become the team's alternate governor, according to Dallas Sports Journal.
A succession built in
The Mavericks created the president's job for Casson in July 2025, and since then he has run the club's daily business operations alongside Welts, Dumont and the executive staff.
"I have complete confidence in him and could not feel better about the future of the Dallas Mavericks," Welts said in the team's statement.
Dumont credited Welts with strengthening the front office and said the two executives had created what he called "a natural and seamless path forward." Casson said the pair had spent 15 months laying groundwork together. "Our vision extends well beyond the basketball court," he said, pointing to plans for "a world-class arena and entertainment district."
The arena question
That arena is the largest piece of unfinished business Casson inherits. On June 1 the team announced option agreements on 104 acres at the former Valley View Mall site in Far North Dallas, which would be the franchise's first home outside downtown.
Its American Airlines Center lease runs out in July 2031, and Welts had aimed to choose a site by July 1 so a new building could open for the 2031-32 season, Dallas Sports Journal reported. Plans for the Valley View land also include a new headquarters and practice facility.
