Dallas Mavericks Shake Up Leadership With New Hire

The Dallas Mavericks made a significant front-office move on Tuesday, hiring longtime NBA executive Ethan Casson as the team's new president.

Casson spent the last nine years as CEO for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA's Minnesota Lynx, leading business operations for both organizations. Before that, he served as CEO for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.

Casson will handle day-to-day business operations for team CEO Rick Welts, who was hired by the franchise seven months ago.

"He will be my partner in charting the team into the future and will allow me to devote more time to our strategic priorities, including the building of our new arena and entertainment district in Dallas, and our transition from a basketball organization to a sports and entertainment company operating our own venue," Welts said in a statement on Tuesday.

Joining Welts, Casson is the second major front-office hire since the Adelson and Dumont families purchased major interest in the organization from Mark Cuban in late 2023.

"The Mavericks are committed to being an elite professional sports franchise, and fundamental to that goal is adding top-tier executives like Ethan Casson to our senior management team," Patrick Dumont said in a statement.

Casson will begin his new role on Aug. 11.

"Being named president of the Dallas Mavericks is an extraordinary honor," Casson said. "I'm deeply grateful to Rick and Patrick for their trust in me to help lead this iconic franchise — one poised not only to compete at the highest level on the court, but to deliver a world-class experience for the most passionate and loyal fans in the NBA."