The Dallas Mavericks are preparing for another significant leadership transition. Chief Executive Officer Rick Welts will retire at the end of 2026, with Mavericks President Ethan Casson succeeding him as CEO and Alternate Governor beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The move closes a relatively brief but consequential chapter for Welts in Dallas. The 73-year-old Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame executive arrived in 2025 with nearly five decades of NBA experience and has since helped strengthen the Mavericks’ executive leadership team, advance the franchise’s long-term arena and development strategy and position the organization for its next phase of growth.
Rather than signaling an abrupt change in direction, the transition was structured to provide continuity. Casson joined the Mavericks as president in August 2025 and has led the organization’s day-to-day business operations while working closely with Welts, Mavericks Governor Patrick Dumont and the executive leadership team. “Rick and Ethan have built a strong partnership that has created a natural and seamless path forward,” Dumont said in announcing the transition. Welts will remain CEO through Dec. 31 and work alongside Casson through the end of the year.
“Our vision extends well beyond the basketball court. From developing a world-class arena and entertainment district to deepening our relationships with fans, partners, and the community, we have an opportunity to create something that truly reflects the ambition, energy, and spirit of Dallas.” — Ethan Casson, Dallas Mavericks President and incoming CEO
Casson’s background could prove particularly important as the Mavericks determine what their next chapter in Dallas will look like. Before joining the franchise, he spent nine seasons as CEO and Alternate Governor of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, where the organization earned the NBA’s 2023-24 Inclusion Leadership Award and the Timberwolves became a finalist for Sports Business Journal’s 2024 Sports Team of the Year. Casson previously served as chief operating officer of the San Francisco 49ers and played a key role in the development of Levi’s Stadium, including securing its 20-year, $220 million naming-rights agreement with Levi Strauss & Co.
That arena experience takes on particular significance in Dallas. The Mavericks’ lease at American Airlines Center expires in 2031, while the organization continues pursuing plans for a new arena and entertainment district. Casson made clear that development will be central to his leadership. “Our vision extends well beyond the basketball court,” he said, pointing specifically to developing a world-class arena and entertainment district while deepening relationships with fans, business partners and the community. For Dallas residents, those decisions could ultimately touch economic development, transportation, infrastructure, investment and surrounding neighborhoods — making the franchise’s leadership transition consequential well beyond professional basketball.
The change also comes amid a broader transformation of the Mavericks under Dumont and the Adelson-Dumont ownership group, which acquired majority control of the franchise in late 2023. Welts came out of retirement to succeed former Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall in January 2025. Marshall’s tenure represented a transformational period around workplace culture, accountability and inclusion; Welts’ assignment focused heavily on positioning the business for its future. “When I came to Dallas, I saw an extraordinary opportunity to help build something meaningful for the future of this franchise,” Welts said, adding that he has “complete confidence” in Casson’s ability to lead the organization forward.
Although his Dallas tenure represents only a small portion of his career, Welts’ influence on professional basketball stretches across generations. A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018, he built a career spanning the NBA league office and executive leadership with multiple franchises. He is closely associated with his decade with the Golden State Warriors, where he served as president and chief operating officer during a run that included five consecutive NBA Finals appearances and three championships. Welts also made history when he publicly came out as gay in 2011, becoming one of the highest-ranking openly gay executives in American professional sports and an influential figure in the conversation around LGBTQ+ representation in athletics. By the conclusion of 2026, he will have spent 49 seasons working in the NBA.
“Rick and Ethan have built a strong partnership that has created a natural and seamless path forward.” — Patrick Dumont, Dallas Mavericks Governor
For Dallas, Welts’ retirement is therefore more than a change in the Mavericks’ executive suite. One of North Texas’ most visible institutions is approaching decisions that could influence the city’s physical and economic landscape for decades, and Casson will now be one of the central figures shaping them. His elevation offers continuity, but his experience with major sports facilities, business development and community engagement also provides a glimpse at where the Mavericks’ priorities may be headed. Welts and Casson will work alongside one another through Dec. 31 before Casson takes the CEO seat Jan. 1 — beginning another chapter for a franchise navigating new ownership, evolving leadership and an increasingly important question for the city itself: What will the next era of the Dallas Mavericks mean for Dallas?
