The Dallas Mavericks have been through an immense amount of change over the last two years, but Michael Finley has remained a constant presence.
One of the longest-tenured members of the team’s front office, Finley is in his 12th season as an executive in the city where he spent most of his 15-year career as a player.
Finley developed into a trusted voice under former general managers Donnie Nelson and Nico Harrison. When Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont fired Harrison on Nov. 11, Finley assumed the role of co-interim GM alongside Matt Riccardi.
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Finley recently spoke to The Dallas Morning News about his relationship with Riccardi, whom he first met at an autograph signing in 1999. During that interview, he also offered perspective on how the team plans to approach the Feb. 5 trade deadline and his experience transitioning from player to executive.
Matt Riccardi pictured with Michael Finley during a 1999 autograph session at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. The two would go on to become co-general managers of the Dallas Mavericks together.
Courtesy Claudia Smith
“It’s been different because as a player, you think you understand everything that’s going on in the front office,” Finley told The News. “But once you’re a part of it, you realize you didn’t know nothing. It’s more than one plus one equaling two.”
Finley entered this season as assistant GM and vice president of basketball operations, his fourth season in that role.
After playing for Dallas from 1996-2005, Finley joined the San Antonio Spurs as a free agent. During his 4½ seasons, he won an NBA title in 2007 and witnessed how former Spurs executive R.C. Buford and current Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti managed the organization.
Then as an executive in Dallas, he saw firsthand the extreme highs of Harrison’s tenure that led to a Finals appearance in 2024 and the plummet toward the bottom of the Western Conference standings that led to the GM’s dismissal.
“I’ve learned from some of the best to do it, in my opinion,“ Finley said. ”So to be able to learn from those guys, learn from their goods and their bads, it’s been eye-opening, especially being able to relate to some of these players and some of the things that they’ve been through.”
Experience is one of Finley’s most valuable assets and there’s enough of it across his playing career to allow him to connect with nearly every player on the roster. The Phoenix Suns made him the 21st pick in the 1995 NBA draft and Dallas acquired him during his sophomore season in the infamous trade for Jason Kidd, now the Mavericks’ head coach.
“We were teammates in Team USA. We were traded for each other,” Kidd said of Finley earlier this season. “I have the highest respect. Fin’s an incredibly smart man. He’s been in this game for a long time. I truly believe we’re in good hands.”
Finley was a two-time All-Star playing alongside Dirk Nowitzki over nine seasons with the Mavericks. He ranks fifth in franchise history in points (12,389), fifth in rebounds (3,245) and ninth in assists (2,393).
ORG XMIT: S0358106345_STAFF NBA PLAYOFFS – DALLAS MAVERICKS VS. SAN ANTONIO SPURS – GAME 4 – REUNION ARENA – Dallas Mavericks’ forwards Michael Finley (4) and Dirk Nowitzki (41) discuss a play in the first half of game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs at Reunion Arena Saturday. The Spurs lead the series 3-0.
Despite those accolades, Finley encountered his fair share of adversity, and he tries to communicate that to relate to players.
“Like I tell players, I’ve been overlooked in the draft. I’ve been traded. I’ve been amnestied. I’ve been waived. I’ve been the first man on the bench. I’ve been the 15th man on the bench,“ he said. ”Everything that you’ve experienced, I’ve experienced, so I pretty much know what you’re going through.”
Managing relationships is just as much a part of the job of an executive as managing the roster, which includes signing free agents, scouting for the annual NBA draft and facilitating trades, Finley said.
Consistent communication and trust has been a theme for the regime of Finley and Riccardi. They plan to approach the trade deadline with those factors in mind.
With exactly two weeks left, Finley understands the anxiety that could arise until the deadline passes.
“I’ve been in that spot, and a lot of the players are uneasy around this time,” he said. “But you just have to be yourself, encourage them to do their best as a Maverick. But at the end of the day, our job is to make the Mavericks better. If they’re part of that solution, then we’re gonna be fully supportive of making them part of the solution.
“But if we need them in a trade in order to make the franchise better, you have to have that conversation with them. And whether it’s before the trade or after the trade, I just feel like if your relationship is strong, it won’t change after that. That’s the way I approach it.”
Most midseason deals are orchestrated by one person – Harrison’s trade of six-time All-Star guard Luka Doncic for 10-time All-Star forward Anthony Davis last year, for example. This year’s trade deadline will be a collaborative effort between Riccardi and Finley, with guidance from Dumont and Kidd, along with Mavericks vice president of basketball strategy and analytics Andrew Baker and Makhtar Ndiaye, the team’s director of pro personnel and international scouting.
“We’re all in constant communication to make sure that we’re doing the best that we can to put the team in the best position to be successful,” Finley told The News. “If the communication we’re having is consistent, when we talk to other teams and agents, then I think that puts us in a good position to make a deal if you have to.”
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