DALLAS -- Dallas Mavericks CEO Rick Welts is retiring for the second time, almost two years after he joined the franchise to help shepherd a new arena plan. Team president Ethan Casson, hired last year, will succeed Welts as CEO and alternate governor, the Mavericks said Wednesday. The 73-year-old Welts is staying on until Dec. 31.
The departure of Welts, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer who has spent nearly 50 years in the NBA, comes after the team announced plans to build an arena in north Dallas that would open for the 2031-32 season. The Mavericks have played downtown since their expansion season of 1980-81.
Welts led the Chase Center project for the Warriors when they moved across the bay from Oakland to San Francisco in 2019. He spent 10 years with Golden State after previously working for the Phoenix Suns and in the NBA offices. Welts left the Warriors in 2021 and was helping them in an advisory role when Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont lured him out of retirement in 2024. Rick joined the Mavericks at an important moment for our organization, and his leadership, judgment and experience have been invaluable, Dumont said.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing