Stars’ Future in Dallas in Play as Wings Eye AAC Backup Plan

The long-term future of pro sports in Dallas is suddenly a live-wire issue.

City officials are publicly hustling to keep the Dallas Stars from bolting, even as the Dallas Wings piece together contingency plans for where they’ll play — and practice — later this decade, according to the Dallas Business Journal.

Dallas City Council member Chad West said the city is doing “everything we can” to retain the NHL franchise, including weighing incentives to renovate the interior of the American Airlines Center into a more “hockey-specific” venue. The Stars’ lease at the arena expires in 2031.

West, who chairs the council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Sports Recruitment and Retention, said the team has had serious discussions about relocating to Plano and has a letter of intent “on the table” tied to a potential move to The Shops at Willow Bend, an aging mall slated for major redevelopment. His comments were first reported by WFAA.

Plano officials confirmed they’ve been in “earnest discussions” with the Stars over the past year about a possible arena on West Park Boulevard, but pushed back on reports of a formal offer. Mayor John Muns previously told WFAA the suburb made “a really good offer.”

Willow Bend’s 107-acre site is being reimagined by Centennial Real Estate Management and Cawley Partners as a mixed-use district with housing, office and hospitality, according to the Dallas Business Journal. An arena could turbocharge — or complicate — that vision.

For Dallas, the stakes are both civic and financial. The Stars have shared the AAC with the Dallas Mavericks since it opened in 2001, but the relationship is fraying. The Mavericks have said they plan to leave after 2031 and are currently suing the Stars over control of the facility and alleged breaches of a 1998 franchise agreement. A publicly funded arena renovation could require the Stars to find a temporary home during construction.

Meanwhile, the Wings are navigating their own venue puzzle. Team President and CEO Greg Bibb told the publication that he expects the WNBA club to play the 2027 season at the AAC because a revamped Dallas Memorial Auditorium inside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center likely won’t be ready in time. The convention center is in the early stages of a multibillion-dollar overhaul, with demolition of major exhibit halls only recently underway.

The Wings’ 2024 agreement with the city calls for the AAC to serve as a fallback if the auditorium isn’t complete. No formal deal is in place yet, Bibb said, and terms haven’t been discussed.

While the AAC has hosted select Wings games — including a 20,409-attendance matchup against the Indiana Fever last June — Bibb noted the arena lacks the infrastructure to function as a full-time practice facility. The Stars currently train in Frisco and the Mavericks use a dedicated complex across I-35 East.

— Eric Weilbacher