The Dallas Mavericks are nearing the end of yet another disappointing season, but their future remains bright thanks to their Rookie of the Year candidate, Cooper Flagg.
On Tuesday, team CEO Rick Welts and president Ethan Casson hosted D-FW media for a lunch that also included a brief media availability session. Welts was asked to share his grand vision for the franchise on a macro level.
“Well, I hope Cooper Flagg is MVP at the NBA Finals and we have a banner hanging in the arena,” Welts said. “Every reason that I chose to come here out of retirement, every one of those reasons still exists here today. This franchise should stand toe-to-toe, not just with any franchise in the NBA, but with any franchise in sports.”
After 13 straight losses at American Airlines Center and a 24-51 record going into Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee, the Mavericks are far from their championship aspirations. And before they can put together a roster worthy of competing with the NBA’s elite, they’ll need a permanent general manager in place.
Mavericks
Welts didn’t provide a substantial update on the comprehensive search and instead reiterated the team’s preferred timeline to have Nico Harrison’s successor in place before the NBA draft, which doesn’t have a solidified date, but will likely be held in June. He was also specific with his choice of words to describe the new leader, refraining to use the title of general manager.
“It’s a very comprehensive process that we’re going through now,” Welts said. “The point person on that is (Governor) Patrick Dumont. We want to have a head of basketball in place before the draft.”
Dumont appointed Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi as co-interim general managers on Nov. 11 when he fired Harrison and the duo has worked in tandem since, splitting up the duties usually reserved for one. They orchestrated the Mavericks’ blockbuster trade of sending Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards, while providing the franchise financial flexibility to prioritize its future around Flagg.
When asked for ideal qualities in a permanent candidate, Welts deferred to what could be considered Dumont’s preference.
“That’s in the eye of the beholder and there’s no specific set of characteristics,” Welts said. “I can tell you there’s a variety of candidates, which present very different personalities, very different track records. It’s the most important decision that the organization’s going to make for the coming season. So we’re going to take our time with it.”
Time should be on the side of Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who signed a contract extension last September for the second consecutive offseason. Welts did not offer a direct response when asked for the franchise’s level of confidence in keeping Kidd in place as coach, instead highlighting his affinity for the Mavericks leader, who he entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with in 2018.
“Let’s let Jason get through the season,” Welts said. “It’s been a rough year.”
The description is accurate, but the season is almost over with just seven games remaining.