The Dallas Mavericks filed a lawsuit last month against the Dallas Stars. The Mavericks are claiming breach of contract with the Stars having their headquarters in Frisco instead of Dallas since 2003. The Stars are being held hostage and having words put in their mouth as the arena-sharing situation has reached its boiling point. The Mavericks seized the Stars’ operating payment of “tens of millions of dollars” and are holding it in escrow. This is also coming after the Stars “allegedly” backed out of a $300 million renovation project at the American Airlines Center. Lots of finger-pointing and “he said, she said” have ended any future of a relationship between these two teams. This disagreement is heading to the court side with a trail in January 2026.
Past Relationship
The Stars and Mavericks never had any relationship turmoil as roommates at the American Airlines Center. The transition between games and concerts is always flawless with the exceptional staff at the arena. Eccentric former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban and the Stars never had any problems. Some days had both teams playing within hours of each other with no problems in between. The American Airlines Center hosts events on over half of the days in a calendar year. Almost 25 years of this arena is about to change as both teams are likely on the outs.
Lawsuit
The Mavericks’ ownership filed a lawsuit last month against the Stars. Part of the suit is regarding a franchise agreement in 1998 requiring the Stars to have their headquarters in the city of Dallas. The Stars moved to their headquarters in Frisco in 2003, so why is that a problem 22 years later? They are also claiming the Stars are “obstructing further arena developments.” The Mavericks are now claiming that the Stars backed out of any financial obligations regarding arena improvements. The City of Dallas is backing the Mavericks in their current hostile takeover. The Mavericks have now taken the Stars’ arena proceeds while holding them in escrow, an amount totaling “tens of millions of dollars.”
Stars’ Side
The Stars are claiming they were left out of plans for renovations. That’s like both teams going out to a restaurant with the Stars getting water and the Mavericks ordering a lavish meal and making the Stars pay for half. The Mavericks are grasping at every straw they can find to con the Stars. It’s time for the Stars to leave, especially with sharing the arena with an unstable organization. Even NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has words to say regarding the situation. This situation absolutely does not need to go to court. You meet with each other as organizations and hash things out, not relying on the courts to resolve this. These hostilities started when Mark Cuban sold his majority stake to the Adelson family.
Mavericks Ownership
Souring a multi-decade good relationship in one year takes talent. The Mavericks organization traded away a franchise generational talent for basically nothing. You don’t ever trade a player like Luka. Now the Mavericks are trying to do everything they can to financially impact the Stars. What is going on with the Mavericks organization? Leave your problems to your team, which there are a lot of. Don’t take the Stars down with you. None of this makes sense because the Mavericks have clearly displayed their interest in moving the team out of Dallas. Also, why would the Mavs be claiming all these arena renovations when they are actively looking for a basketball-only venue? The Mavericks are essentially holding the Stars ransom to squeeze money out of them until they leave the arena in six years.
This situation is clearly deteriorating. The city siding with the Mavericks shows exactly what they think about the Stars. It is now time for the Stars to find a new home. Multiple cities are reportedly interested in taking on the Stars as a tenant. Arena construction will take years, so they’ll have to make do with a hostile landlord in the Mavericks. The Stars’ days at the American Airlines Center are limited, potentially moving in the early 2030s.
Dallas Stars Nation Blogger. You can time how fast I skate with a calendar. Lifetime GAA about 12.50.
Tags: american airlines center Dallas Mavericks dallas stars nhl
Categorized: Stars