“ Nothing has really changed except my bank account. I will continue to supervise the basketball aspect. » Thus expressed Mark Cuban in December when discussing the sale of the majority of his shares in the Mavericks.
Six months after this declaration, things have evolved internally. According to ESPNthe Texan organization chart is now “ clearer » than in the past and the historic owner no longer has control of basketball operations.
Thus, General Manager Nico Harrison reports to the new manager Patrick Dumont, who is kept informed and who has trusted his GM to manage questions relating to the workforce. Patrick Dumont rewarded his GM as well as Jason Kidd by granting them multi-year contract extensions during the playoffs.
Avoid interference?
We recall that after buying the club for $285 million in 2000, Mark Cuban relinquished control of the franchise to the Adelson and Dumont families, at the head of the Las Vegas Sands casino company. The fiery billionaire thus sold 73% of the club, retaining only 27%.
In December, he assured that he would retain the sporting direction of the club, Patrick Dumont simply going to take care of the economic part. However, it was simply an oral agreement since absolutely nothing guaranteed, in the sales contract, for the former owner to keep this status of sporting patron of the club…
“He basically told me: 'Do what you have to do. I want to win'. Financially, we are in a much better position this afternoon than yesterday afternoon to be able to compete », reported the billionaire, undoubtedly all the more convinced by this rebalancing after the good performance of his Mavs.
Still very often present at the edge of the field, next to the Dallas bench, Mark Cuban undoubtedly still has influence and weight regarding the team's sporting choices, but he is therefore no longer the final decision-maker.
