Mark Cuban just took his beef with the Dallas Mavericks’ new ownership group to court. And it’s not about basketball.
According to a court filing first reported by The Dallas Morning News, Cuban has sued Patrick Dumont, the team’s governor and the face of the Adelson family’s ownership stake. The lawsuit accuses Dumont of cutting Cuban out of key decisions about the franchise’s proposed new arena at the old Valley View Mall site. Cuban wants a Dallas County judge to force the ownership group to hand over details about the project, including financing and corporate structure.
The filing says Dumont engaged in what it calls “adversarial business practices.” That’s a strong term for two guys who were supposedly partners less than two years ago.
Here’s the background. Cuban sold his controlling interest in the Mavericks in December 2023 to the families of Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont. But he kept a 27 percent stake. He’s still a minority owner. And according to the lawsuit, the sales agreement gives him the right to participate in certain business opportunities tied to the franchise.
Cuban argues the new arena project qualifies. So he’s asking a judge to make the Adelson group share the purchase contract for the mall property, the financing plan, and the names of the corporate entities involved.
This isn’t just about real estate. There’s a potential buyout clause in the original sales agreement. Per The Dallas News, the Adelson family has the option to buy 20 percent of Cuban’s remaining 27 percent stake at some point. That means Cuban’s days as a Mavericks minority owner might be numbered anyway.
In a statement, the ownership group said it looks forward to “expanding its ownership position in the franchise.” Translation: they want Cuban out. The lawsuit is likely just the opening move in what could be an ugly, expensive legal fight.
Cuban was the face of the Mavericks for more than two decades. He won a title in 2011, turned the franchise into a cultural fixture in Dallas, and basically lived and died with every possession from his baseline seat. Now he’s suing the guys who bought his team. That’s a weird place to end up.
No court date has been set. But the arena project is real. The Mavericks have been exploring the Valley View site for months. If Cuban can force the ownership group to open its books, that could slow things down or reveal details the Adelsons would rather keep private.
Either way, the relationship is clearly broken. And it’s probably only going to get worse.
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