Mavericks mess is another example of 'new owner syndrome'

The Dallas Mavericks fired GM Nico Harrison on Tuesday, but his most controversial trade was made with the full backing of new team governor Patrick Dumont. Like many new owners, Dumont wanted to put his stamp on his team — and made a big error.

Dumont and the Adelson family took over the Mavericks during the 2023-24 season after purchasing the team from longtime owner Mark Cuban. Though Cuban believed he'd retain control of basketball operations, Harrison was answering to Dumont by the end of the season. Midway through next season, Dumont and Harrison decided to trade Luka Doncic.

Patrick Dumont is not the first owner to make ill-advised early moves

When anyone buys an NBA team, they're generally not doing it to be a passive steward of the franchise. Usually, they want to put their own stamp on the franchise, and as soon as possible.

Bill Simmons dubbed the phenomenon "new owner syndrome," where a team's buyer makes big moves right after taking control of the team, sometimes with a lack of foresight. There's something about running a sports team that can make an otherwise thoughtful businessman turn reckless.

When Mat Ishbia took over the Phoenix Suns during the 2022-23 season, the team immediately traded three players, four first-round picks and a pick swap for Kevin Durant. They fired their head coach that summer, then traded two players, four pick swaps, and five second-round picks for Bradley Beal. By this summer, Durant had been traded, the Suns bought out Beal for over $96M and the team had won exactly one playoff series.

Even successful NBA owners often start out aggressive

When Peter Guber and Joe Lacob bought the Golden State Warriors in 2010, their first big move was to trade three players to obtain David Lee and sign him to a six-year, $80M deal. Lee made an All-Star team, but the team truly took off when they benched Lee in favor of Draymond Green in 2014-15.

Joe Tsai already had a 49% stake in the Brooklyn Nets beginning in 2017, and officially purchased the rest in the summer of 2019. That's also when the Nets signed Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in free agency. One season after Tsai took over, the Nets traded future All-Star Jarrett Allen, three first-round picks and four pick swaps for James Harden, who demanded a trade a year later.

The Seattle Supersonics new owners made a dramatic franchise relocation to Oklahoma City after a year, while the front office went the other direction in trading Ray Allen and other veterans for draft picks.

All this is to say that while Nico Harrison deserves a lot of blame for the Mavericks' current mess, it's the new team owner who was ultimately responsible. Dumont has indeed put his stamp on the team. It's just not a positive one.