Dallas Mavericks CEO Rick Welts sought to clarify recent comments about the possibility of the team taking over Dallas City Hall during a press conference on Tuesday, March 3.
The clarification follows a Dallas Morning News report that Welts, speaking at a sports economics panel Friday, said Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert first approached the Mavericks more than a year ago about City Hall potentially becoming the site of a new arena.
“Last week in a panel discussion, I gave a very quick answer that really didn’t capture the context of a conversation that I had with city manager Kim Tolbert,” Welts said following a media luncheon Tuesday.
“In a very long conversation with the city manager, we were discussing a variety of potential sites for a future Mavericks arena. And in that conversation, she told me that it could cost hundreds of millions of dollars to renovate City Hall. And it could be that the city would have to consider moving out of City Hall. That really was the summation of our conversation,” he added.
According to a city report, Mayor Eric Johnson in August 2025 directed the city’s finance committee to review the condition of City Hall and identify solutions for deferred maintenance.
In a statement, Tolbert said she had already directed city staff in May and June 2025 to brief the City Council on the “urgent need to fund repairs to city facilities, including Dallas City Hall.”
She added, “It is not breaking news that I have met with the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars about the two teams remaining in Dallas. I have had discussions with officials from both teams about their needs for a modern, fan-friendly arena experience. We have also discussed the future of the American Airlines Center, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, the City’s commitment to downtown, and the Mayor’s recent charge to the Finance Committee related to deferred maintenance at City Hall. Following the March 4, 2026, Dallas City Council meeting, the Council directed me to explore multiple options, including the disposition of the City Hall site. It will be up to the Dallas City Council to decide whether to repair or move out of City Hall. Until the City Council makes that decision, we will continue discussions with the Mavericks on other issues.”
The Mavericks have also identified the former Valley View Mall site as a potential location for a future arena.
Welts said Tuesday the organization remains interested in downtown Dallas but faces a timeline.
“We’re on the clock, so I think that’s going to be our biggest challenge at this point. We want to know by July where we’re going to be, if we’re going to successfully be in a new arena in 2031. But I have to tell you, I can’t say enough about the city’s approach to this point and their engagement. It’s been tremendous. It’s ongoing, and we’ll see where we end up,” he said.
