What we know about some potential landing spots for a new Dallas Mavericks arena

Where the Dallas Mavericks will be playing basketball beyond the 2030-31 season has been a trending topic in North Texas over the past few months.

The team could be on the move with the expiration of its lease in 2031 at American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas’ Victory Park.

Mavericks CEO Rick Welts told The Dallas Morning News the Mavericks are looking for a 30- to 50-acre site in Dallas, but he stressed in July that the team is nowhere close to making a decision.

In a recent “State of Play” series of stories, The News dove into a few spots in the region that could become the Mavericks’ new stomping grounds, should AAC no longer be in play.

Mavericks

Here’s a look at those potential sites:

Irving

Once the home of iconic Texas Stadium, there has been recent speculation that the storied area — more specifically an area that included parking next to the former structure — could see a new chapter with another pro team: the Mavericks.

The opportunity could present Irving as a possible wild card — and potentially a bargaining chip for the Mavericks to use in negotiations elsewhere.

The property at the center of the speculation is owned by entities tied to Las Vegas Sands Corp., the resort and casino firm owned by the Adelson family ― which together with the Dumont family purchased the Mavericks in 2023.

Companies affiliated with Las Vegas Sands own roughly 200 acres near the old Texas Stadium site, and the company’s chief operating officer is Mavericks Governor Patrick Dumont. (Read more.)

A refurbished Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center

Civic boosters, landowners, developers and city officials hope the $3.7 billion convention center redevelopment is the shot in the arm that Dallas’ urban core desperately needs.

It may also clear the way for a new NBA arena and entertainment district — a project they call an economic game changer.

The Mavericks focused on two sites recommended by the city of Dallas, but Welts has refused to identify those locations. The team hopes to select an arena site in early 2026.

If the team picked this site, the Mavs would have several options for where to put a new arena. (Read more.)

Valley View

Developer Scott Beck won’t confirm whether representatives of the Mavericks are scoping out his Valley View Center property for a new NBA arena.

But with 110 acres at the corner of Preston Road and Interstate 635, it is one of the largest undeveloped properties in Dallas with clear potential.

The Valley View Center site is a sprawling dead zone with plenty of hope but more than a decade of promises for transformation that have not yet materialized. With its location between downtown and the suburbs and its spot within the city’s 450-acre International District planned for housing, retail and a Central Park-like green space, real estate hawks see the old mall site as an obvious candidate for the hometown team’s future. (Read more.)

Dallas City Hall

As Dallas City Hall’s future hangs in the balance with mounting maintenance issues, the site in the southern half of downtown may have what’s needed for a new billion-dollar NBA arena.

The Mavericks’ current home is an 850,000 square-foot facility with room to host 20,000 patrons. Compared to that, City Hall’s inverted pyramid, the park plaza in front of it, as well as the horseshoe-like parking lot in the back, gives the city enough room for an arena itself.

Located in a rather sleepy part of town, the project would require additional real estate around City Hall for an entertainment district. Currently, the site, including its underground lot, has less than 2,000 parking spaces available. In comparison, the American Airlines Center has 5,000, with nearby parking garages built to accommodate the crowd’s needs. (Read more.)

More from DMN’s “State of Play” series

— Irving: Where ‘God can watch his favorite team’ — and possibly the Dallas Mavericks

— Will the Dallas Mavericks, or something else, breathe new life into Valley View?

— Could $3.7B convention center redevelopment clear site for new Mavs arena?

— Does the Dallas City Hall site have the ingredients for a new Mavericks arena?

Predicting the Mavericks’ 2025-26 season: Can Dallas brave the West, return to playoffs?