The Dallas Mavericks are facing questions from some partial-season ticket holders after a preseason matchup against the Atlanta Hawks appeared in a 10-game Club Maverick package, despite the team’s own published terms defining a “Game Ticket” as a ticket to a regular-season game.
The issue surfaced after the Mavericks assigned games for their 2026-27 partial-season plans. According to a Club Maverick member who shared details of the Weekend Game package on reddit, one of the 10 included dates is Friday, October 16 against Atlanta at American Airlines Center.
That game is unquestionably preseason. The Mavericks’ official schedule lists the October 16 meeting with the Hawks as a preseason contest, five days before Dallas begins its regular season at Houston on October 21.
What makes the situation more complicated is the language currently published in the Mavericks’ Club Maverick Terms and Conditions.
Those terms define a “Game Ticket” as a ticket to a regular-season game.
That creates an obvious question for customers who purchased what was presented as a 10-game plan: if one of the 10 assigned tickets is for a preseason game, are they actually receiving 10 “Game Tickets” as that term is defined in the agreement?
While, there is no evidence that the Mavericks deliberately attempted a “bait and switch,” the available information does show a legitimate discrepancy between the terminology in the club’s published conditions and the package reportedly assigned to at least one ticket holder.
The frustration is amplified by the schedule itself.
Dallas has several attractive regular-season weekend home games that could theoretically have occupied that spot instead. The Mavericks host San Antonio on Saturday, October 24, Houston on Friday, October 30, and the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, February 28. All are confirmed regular-season games at American Airlines Center.
From a fan’s perspective, the difference is significant. Preseason games generally carry less competitive importance, and star players can have reduced workloads or sit entirely as teams prepare for the regular season. They also typically command lower secondary-market prices than high-profile regular-season weekend matchups.
That does not necessarily mean Club Maverick members are contractually entitled to select whichever 10 regular-season games they prefer. Partial-season packages routinely contain predetermined schedules, and the Mavericks’ broader ticket terms give the organization substantial control over ticketing and membership arrangements.
But the wording matters.
If the product is sold as a 10-game package while the controlling terms specifically describe a “Game Ticket” as admission to a regular-season game, inserting a preseason contest into that total naturally invites scrutiny.
The Mavericks have not publicly addressed this specific complaint or explained whether affected members will receive an additional regular-season ticket, an exchange option or some other accommodation.
Until they do, calling the situation intentional deception would go beyond the evidence. Calling it confusing, however, is entirely fair.
