Mark Cuban is taking a new swing at sports ownership, and it comes at a time when his grip on the Mavericks has clearly loosened.
According to ESPN, Cuban has joined Harbinger Sports Group as the group’s president in an effort to land a stake in the soon-to-be Las Vegas Athletics. The size of the ownership piece he could end up with has not been disclosed.
Harbinger Sports Group is led by founder and chief investment officer Rashaun Williams. Steve Cannon is the chief executive officer, and Jonathan Mariner is the managing partner. Mariner previously served as Major League Baseball’s chief financial officer.
The move arrives as Cuban’s role with the Mavericks continues to shrink after he sold a majority stake in the franchise to the Adelson family. He no longer has operational control of the team, and he has openly acknowledged disagreements with the current ownership in recent months, including legal action tied to the organization’s proposed arena plans.
That split could deepen even further. Under the original sale agreement, Cuban’s stake in the franchise could drop from 27 percent to 7 percent if the Adelson family exercises that option.
Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News reported that Cuban’s push for an MLB ownership opportunity is closely connected to his reduced influence in Dallas.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks have kept moving ahead without his input. Since the ownership change, the team has made several important offseason decisions, a sign of how different things look under the new leadership.
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The problem is that Dallas does not have much room to spare on the wing, and Martins path to steady minutes may depend on doing more than guarding the other teams best perimeter threat. He is set to make $10 million next season and is under contract through 2028, so the Mavericks have every reason to want the fit to work, but the offense will have to hold up if he is going to carve out the kind of role his defense suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Mavs May Have Found A Rookie Who Can Help Sooner Than Expected
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Mavericks Fans Have One Big Concern About Zaccharie Risacher's Fit
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The question is whether this is the best environment for that development right now. Dallas has been operating in the bottom quarter of several key offensive categories, and a playmaker who thrives when a floor general can find him in the right spots may not always get that clean of a runway here. Kyrie Irvings return, Cooper Flaggs presence and the broader roster turnover could change the picture quickly, but for the moment the fit is still one of the more interesting issues hanging over the Mavericks youth movement. [Read more 🡒]