Ex-Dallas Mavericks VP Claims 'Nobody Got Playoff Bonuses'

Ex-Dallas Mavericks Vice President of Content Mike Marshall claimed, “nobody got playoff bonuses.” Marshall exclusively spoke about his experiences with the Mavericks on “The Dumb Zone” podcast. Here’s why.

Ex-Dallas Mavericks VPs’ Claims

Former Dallas Mavericks employee Mike Marshall is speaking out about the internal culture of the Dallas Mavericks since the team was purchased by the Adelson family, making a big show of anger on social media among frustrated Mavericks fans.

Marshall, who worked as the team’s previous Vice President of Content, sat down with “The Dumb Zone” podcast this past Friday. Marshall and the hosts discussed the public relations firestorm the Mavericks organization faced after the Luka Doncic trade, along with other claims about the Mavericks’ new leadership regime.

The hosts asked Marshall about the differences between when Mark Cuban owned a majority stake in the team compared to the climate of the franchise under the Adelsons’ ownership, and the governorship of Patrick Dumont. Marshall responded, “Nobody got playoff bonuses.”

Ex-Mavericks VP’s Outlook

Mike Marshall didn’t just stop after claiming nobody received playoff bonuses. Marshall went on to point out a difference in pay structures under the Adelson family.

Marshall said, “The only thing that raised kind of a red flag in the first six months or so was nobody got playoff bonuses … We went to the NBA Finals, and we did not get playoff bonuses. Ninety-nine times out of 100, when an NBA team has gone to the playoffs or Finals, they have gotten playoff bonuses, I’d say. We worked for two and a half extra months. It was addressed as if it was going to happen. It was stated that it was going to happen, and then it didn’t get ultimately approved.

“[They had] zero idea what they bought in terms of financials, books, future three-to-five-year plan, how this works, how this functions … Broadcast — I bring that up because the broadcast part links directly to that bonus situation. They bought the team and did not realize there was going to be this gap year before Amazon jumps in where we’re actually going to lose money on broadcast no matter what.

“They got in and they had big plans early on, and they wanted to do this and that, and they realized… someone tapped on the door and said, ‘Um, did you know we were going to lose tens of millions of dollars on broadcast, just because Bally is sinking and we aren’t on Amazon yet?’ And they did not know that, and everything changed from then. They had no appetite for a loss.”

Final Thoughts

Marshall proceeded to say the lack of playoff bonuses was just one of the aspects that “poisoned the atmosphere” of the Dallas Mavericks organization. Marshall said the turning point in terms of ownership came in the aftermath of the Doncic trade, of which Mavericks fans immediately voiced their disapproval. Marshall said the Doncic trade wasn’t the reason he decided to leave the organization following the end of the 2024-25 NBA regular season. Marshall added that “some things got worse” from there.

Ultimately, Marshall expressed frustration that the work he’d done for seven years of “helping build” Doncic’s legacy was essentially thrown out the window with the trade. Marshall’s department was allegedly forced to deal directly with the fan frustration on social media. Marshall concluded that a lack of professional sports experience among the Mavericks’ higher-ups contributed to his disappointment — and ultimate departure — from the team.