A new twist in the legal feud between the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars has emerged, with the Stars alleging that the Mavericks’ ownership quietly relocated the team’s principal corporate and executive offices to Las Vegas in 2024, potentially violating their franchise agreement with the City of Dallas.
The revelation, disclosed in newly filed pleadings in Texas Business Court, has escalated tensions between the two teams that share the American Airlines Center and has ignited public scrutiny of the Mavericks’ new ownership group.
According to the amended counterclaim filed by the Stars, the Mavericks, under the leadership of Governor Patrick Dumont and the Adelson family, designated Las Vegas, Nevada, as the team’s official headquarters in filings with the Texas Secretary of State. This move, the Stars argue, directly violates a clause in the Mavericks’ franchise agreement requiring the team to maintain its corporate base within Dallas city limits.
“In 2024, the new owners of the Mavericks designated Las Vegas as the team’s principal corporate and executive office, which is 1,200 miles away and located outside the State of Texas,” said Stars attorney Joshua Sandler of Winstead PC.
The irony of the situation is not lost on observers. The Mavericks had previously accused the Stars of breaching their own franchise agreement by operating out of Frisco, Texas, rather than Dallas. Now, the Stars claim the Mavericks are guilty of the same infraction, only with a more dramatic geographic leap.
The dispute originally centered on renovation costs and lease terms at the American Airlines Center, but the latest filings suggest a broader battle over control of the arena and its future development. The Stars have also filed a motion to reopen their 2011 bankruptcy case, arguing that the Mavericks and the City of Dallas were aware of the Stars’ Frisco headquarters during the restructuring and failed to object.
Both teams insist that scheduled games and operations will continue uninterrupted, but the legal proceedings are expected to stretch into 2026, with a jury trial likely. The controversy has sparked backlash among fans, many of whom view the alleged Las Vegas relocation as a betrayal of local loyalty.
Critics argue that Dumont and the Adelsons, who acquired majority control of the Mavericks in late 2023. may be positioning the team for future business ventures in Nevada, where the family has deep ties through Las Vegas Sands Corp. If proven true, the move could undermine the Mavericks’ standing in Dallas and fuel speculation about long-term relocation or expansion ambitions.
“If it turns out they did the same thing they accused the Stars of doing, it’s going to look like a cynical money grab,” said one local columnist. “This is shaping up to be a long, bitter fight—and it’s all happening in the heart of DFW.”
