New Mavericks executive vows massive change the team can’t afford to get wrong

The Dallas Mavericks have put themselves in the deepest of wells after the Luka Doncic trade on February 1, as Dallas' season has spiraled out of control due to injuries, and fans have never been more angered at the messages being echoed by Dallas' braintrust. This can't undermine the fact that Dallas' players have nothing to do with how disastrous this season has unravelled, as they've been put in an unprecedented situation and are still fighting hard to make the playoffs regardless of the optics of the situation.

Anthony Davis has returned to the lineup for the Mavericks, and even though the Mavericks are being cautious in their approach with Davis evidenced by him not playing on the second night of a back-to-back in Dallas' loss to New York on Tuesday, Dallas is clearly trying to bolster their roster as much as possible with just nine games remaining in the regular season.

Regardless if Dallas somehow makes the playoffs or not, Dallas' hopes at contending for a title this season were seemingly washed away when Kyrie Irving tore his ACL on March 3, and now the organization will have to do their best to reconcile with mass discontentment from the fanbase in the ensuing seasons.

Welts promises a new arena for Mavericks by 2031-32 season

The easiest way to do this would be to win one or multiple championships in the near future, but that is obviously far easier said than done, and this can't be the organization's only goal when it comes to winning their fanbase back. Another way that Dallas could help win their fans back is delivering on the rumors of a new arena for the Mavericks in Dallas, and new Mavericks executive Rick Welts practically guaranteed that Dallas will be in a new arena for the 2031-32 season in an in-game interview on KFAA's broadcast of the Mavericks-Knicks game last night.

Welts was asked what Dallas' plans are in regard to their lease expiring with the American Airlines Center by play-by-play broadcaster Mark Followill during the second quarter of the game last night, and he gave no hesitation on his answer.

"We need to be in a new arena for the 2031-32 season," Welts said. "We're on the clock." There obviously seems to be a sense of urgency by the Mavericks to get into a new arena, though fans can rest easy in regard to it being outside of Dallas after Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont dispelled rumors of the team moving cities to accommodate this proposed new arena.

There have been rumors that this new arena could be in Irving and could feature a casino-style resort crossover with a modernized venue, especially since Dallas' ownership group is casino/resort moguls. However, there have been no formal announcements in regard to the details of this new proposed arena, and Mavericks fans will have to bank on Welts' promise coming true.

2031 seems like a long time away, but building an entertainment venue that can host an NBA team is no seamless feat, and it will be very interesting to see what new components could make this proposed new arena unique and modernized. Welts referenced the AAC as being outdated in many aspects, given the fan experience that the Mavericks hope to deliver in-game, and it seems like he and Dallas' organization are in lockstep to try and improve the technology in-arena for the fan experience.

The AAC obviously holds a lot of fond memories for Mavericks fans, and Dallas is coming up on their 25th anniversary of being in the arena next season. However, if the Mavericks are going to be one of the most prominent brands in all of the NBA, it's clear that stylistic changes such as a new arena, new logos, and updated uniforms are something that Dallas has to adapt to given how much the NBA and the Mavericks have changed since they played their first game in the AAC in October of 2001.