Mavericks Zero in on Downtown and Mall for new Dallas Arena

The Dallas Mavericks are zooming in on the hunt for their next home court between two sites within the city limits, but the final call may still be months away.

The NBA franchise is now focused on a downtown Dallas location and the former Valley View Center property, a 110-acre tract at Preston Road and I-635, according to comments from Mavericks CEO Rick Welts. Speaking to the Dallas Morning News, Welts said the team has been working closely with city officials to advance the two options.

“We have identified, with the city, two city of Dallas locations that we are focusing all our time and attention on now, and hoping to bring one of them to success,” Welts told the outlet.

A downtown site could include the land beneath Dallas City Hall, though that option hinges on whether the city ultimately preserves or demolishes the I.M. Pei–designed building. Other downtown parcels have been floated in recent months, including land near the planned convention center overhaul.

North Dallas’ Valley View site, once home to a regional mall, emerged as the other frontrunner. The property’s size makes it attractive for what the team has described as a large-scale mixed-use entertainment district anchored by a new arena.

The long-discussed county jail site at 111 Commerce Street has also surfaced as a theoretical option, though Dallas County officials have said no formal talks have taken place. The jail sits on 15 acres of riverfront land owned by the county. The property is valued at $109 million, appraisal district records show.

No decision is imminent. The Mavericks’ lease at the American Airlines Center runs through 2031, and Welts acknowledged that an earlier goal to announce a site by the end of March has slipped. He now expects a decision closer to July 1, at about the end of the NBA season, according to the publication.

“Right now, our hope is somewhere around July 1 … that we are in position to be able to make a decision,” Welts told the outlet, adding that factors beyond the team’s control have pushed the timeline back.

Last summer, Dallas hired Hillwood Urban Services for $75,000 to help identify and evaluate potential sites for a new NBA arena.

Welts emphasized that time is tightening, despite the long runway.

“We want to open in 2031,” he said. “That means we’re on the clock.”

For a roughly 50-acre mixed-use district with an arena and public spaces, he added, the development timeline is anything but leisurely.— Eric Weilbacher