Mavericks eye two sites for new arena

Article posted by Coliseum, August 5^th, 2025

Image: American Airlines Center, Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0

The NBA’s Dallas Mavericks are looking at two potential sites for a new basketball-specific arena within Dallas city limits.

Talk Basket said team CEO Rick Welts has suggested that while two locations are currently being examined more closely, however, they should not be considered finalists.

Welts said, “We have been presented several sites by the city and we are doing a deeper dive on two of them currently to see how viable they are. Neither may work and we may refocus on others.”

The Dallas Mavericks are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference.

The team currently plays at the 20,000-capacity American Airlines Center, a multipurpose indoor arena located in the Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas (US).

The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The Mavericks’ owners, the Adelson family, fear the American Airlines Center is losing its luster, however, and are exploring options for a full-blown entertainment district.

The Mavericks are seeking 30 to 50 acres for a proposed arena and entertainment complex, although the team’s process remains in the exploratory phase.

While the organization remains contractually tied to American Airlines Center through the summer of 2031, Welts has indicated that the Mavericks are aiming to lock in a future site by late 2025 or early 2026.

Real estate experts have speculated that potential locations include areas near the Dallas Convention Center redevelopment, the site of the former Valley View Center, and the current Dallas County jail.

However, the team has not confirmed any particular option under serious consideration.

The arena discussions come after a season of controversy, injuries, and front-office backlash for the Mavericks. The team missed the 2025 NBA Playoffs after falling in the play-in tournament to the Memphis Grizzlies, despite coming off a Finals appearance the year prior.

As for the future home of the Mavericks, Welts made it clear that the team remains committed to the city of Dallas.

Welts said, “We’re going to build a brand new arena and entertainment district in Dallas to really take us into the next 30 years of our history. It’s owned by Las Vegas Sands Corporation, the Adelson family. They build amazing, beautiful projects in Asia … and we’re going to do that in Dallas.”

It is likely that the NHL’s Stars will stay in the American Airlines Center.

Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts said earlier this year, “We like the urban core. We think professional sports fits really well down here. We feel that this arena is a really good building. Does it need some improvement? Sure, just like any house that’s 20-some years old.

“But look at this vibrant community that’s built up around the arena because of the activity here. I have great respect for this and the business that has been created because of this being an arena district, so I take that decision — it’s a big one — I take it very highly.”

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