Here’s what we know about the Dallas Mavericks owners and general manager’s reasons for trading away their 25-year-old franchise player.
DALLAS — For over two decades, the face of any major decision involving the Dallas Mavericks was Mark Cuban. But with a new era upon the team, Cuban is no longer the majority owner. So when the shocking news broke Saturday night that Luka Dončić had been traded, many Mavericks fans likely had the same burning question: Who made that call?
For starters, it wasn’t Cuban. While he remains a minority owner of the team, Cuban confirmed to WFAA that he wasn’t involved in the decision. In fact, it’s no surprise. Cuban hasn’t been part of the day-to-day operations of the team since he sold a majority stake to the Adelson family of Las Vegas at the end of 2023.
Instead, the key decision-maker now is Patrick Dumont, the “governor” of the Mavericks, which is the NBA’s title for a team’s primary owner (Cuban previously held this title). Dumont, son-in-law to casino mogul Miriam Adelson, has been overseeing the team since the Adelson family’s acquisition of the majority stake.
But when it comes to the Dončić trade, the decision ultimately came down to one person: Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison.
Marc Stein, a longtime NBA reporter, revealed that Harrison was the driving force behind the move, not Dončić. Stein reported Saturday night that Harrison “made the call to abruptly change the direction of the franchise” with what many are calling one of the most stunning trades in NBA history.
In an interview with ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Harrison explained the logic behind the trade, saying he believes “defense wins championships” and that acquiring Anthony Davis “gives us a better chance” to contend.
While the Mavericks’ acquisition of Kyrie Irving two years ago was a significant moment, the Dončić trade marks the most impactful move Harrison has made since taking over the general manager role in 2021.
Who is Nico Harrison?
Harrison became the Mavericks’ general manager in the summer of 2021, replacing longtime GM Donnie Nelson. His appointment was unconventional: Harrison didn’t have a background in NBA front-office roles. Instead, he spent years as an executive at Nike, where he worked closely with NBA athletes. Many believed his experience in athlete management would serve him well in navigating team-building decisions, and his role in the Dončić trade seems to validate that.
Who is Patrick Dumont?
While Patrick Dumont is the official “governor” of the Mavericks, it was his mother-in-law, Miriam Adelson, who grabbed much of the attention when the Adelson family purchased the team from Cuban. The Adelsons, known for their wealth from owning the Sands casino empire, made their fortune in Las Vegas and are among the wealthiest families in the United States. Dumont, who was previously president of Sands, took on the role of Mavericks governor after the family’s purchase of the majority stake.
Who is Miriam Adelson?
Miriam Adelson, the widow of the late Sheldon Adelson, is perhaps best known for her role in the global expansion of the Sands casino empire. After Sheldon passed away in 2021, Miriam took control of Las Vegas Sands Corp., overseeing a vast empire that includes casinos in Las Vegas, Macao, and Singapore. As of 2023, Forbes estimates her net worth at $35 billion, making her the fifth-richest woman in the world.
Born Miriam Farbstein in Tel Aviv in 1945, Adelson’s early life was marked by tragedy—her extended family was killed in the Holocaust. She served in the Israel Defense Forces as a medical research officer, working with sex workers suffering from addiction, which influenced much of her later work. After earning a degree in microbiology and genetics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, she became a physician and worked as an internist in Tel Aviv before moving to the U.S. to study heroin addiction treatment at Rockefeller University in New York.
In 1988, while at Rockefeller University, she met Sheldon Adelson, a businessman who had just begun to build his casino empire in Las Vegas. The two were set up on a blind date and quickly became a power couple. Sheldon’s 1991 purchase of the Sands Hotel and Casino marked the beginning of their shared legacy.
Miriam played an instrumental role in shaping the Sands property into the mega-resort it is today, including the creation of the Venetian in 1996, which brought the iconic canals and architecture of Venice to Las Vegas. The Adelsons would later expand their reach in Asia, with the opening of the Sands Macao in 2004 and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore in 2010.
Beyond business, the Adelsons have wielded significant political influence, particularly among Republicans. During the 2020 election, the family donated a record $75 million to a super-PAC supporting President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign. In total, they contributed over $172 million to GOP causes that year.
In 2018, President Trump awarded Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to public life, including her philanthropic work and political involvement.
A New Era for the Mavericks
With Cuban’s reduced role and the Adelson family now in control, the Mavericks are entering a new chapter. As for the decision to trade Luka Dončić, it’s clear that change is in the air—and this shift in ownership and leadership is setting the tone for a bold new direction for the franchise.
