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Mark Cuban accuses Mavericks owners of freezing him out in proposed arena move, newspaper reports
Cuban says he was contractually entitled to join the arena move and claims the new owners used adversarial business practices to exclude him.
Mark Cuban filed an application for a "pre-suit deposition" to "conduct some discovery" regarding the Dallas Mavericks' potential move to north Dallas, alleging Patrick Dumont engaged in "adversarial business practices."
When Cuban sold his majority stake, a handshake agreement stipulated he would retain control over basketball operations; Dumont instead gave General Manager Nico Harrison full authority, leading to the trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Mavericks recently signed an option to purchase approximately 104 acres for a new arena opening in 2031; currently, Cuban controls 27% of the team, though the Adelsons can buy another 20% of his stake, reducing ownership to 7%.
Responding to the lawsuit, Patrick Dumont asked, "Why would I give you control of a $4 billion asset?" while the organization declined further comment on the dispute involving the move from the American Airlines Center.
While the Mavericks consider moving about 10 miles north of downtown, Cuban maintains his businesses were "contractually entitled to participate" in the investment opportunity, illustrating a deep rift between the minority owner and current leadership.