Just before Game 82, Patrick Dumont spoke with the Dallas Morning News for fresh insight into the team's top offseason agenda item.
The Dallas Mavericks host the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Center Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. CT. It's game 82 for the 25-56 Mavericks, who will see their season come to an end having already been eliminated from playoff contention.
The next step for the franchise, other than continuing pushing Cooper Flagg's campaign to win Rookie of the Year, is to intensify the search for a new general manager of basketball operations.
Mavs president and co-owner Patrick Dumont gave a rare interview to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News to provide insight into this major agenda item for the summer.
"They're going to set the tone for everything that we do from a basketball perspective," Dumont said about the person he aims to find. "We're looking for someone who can set the direction of our basketball team, put the right pieces in place to achieve our goals and set the right culture.
"It's got to be a culture that will lead us to win championships and someone that can build that culture."
Co-interim general managers, Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley, are both still considered candidates in this search. Finley went as far as to say he "is Dallas," and would fit in nicely, having already built up experience as a player and an executive in the organization.
Dumont, however, is aiming high, with reports suggesting the Mavericks having some of the league's best executives on a "wish list". The heaviest of hitters include OKC's Sam Presti and Boston's Brad Stevens.
Whomever is eventually hired, Dumont is smart to lay this strong foundation now of what he will prioritize.
"The other thing is, communication is key. Having the ability to communicate effectively across the organization, communicate with our fans and lead this basketball organization is going to be crucial."
Townsend got a laugh out of Dumont for his wishful thinking of including Presti and Stevens in his search, but also nods to how the Mavs owner lured Hall of Fame executive Rick Welts to be the team's next CEO and spearhead a potential new arena development.
Until the season ends (the playoffs included), Dumont is not able talk with executives of other teams, so he reminds us that this list is speculatory and rumor-based. For now.
"So the way to think about it is we'll do the work. We'll figure out who's a great leader. Who can build a great culture. Who has a track record. Who knows how to work with young players and develop them, which is crucial, because if you look at our team right now, we're going to have a pool of great young talent, led by Cooper Flagg. We have draft picks. We can be active in the free agent market. We have great veterans. It needs to be a great leader and someone who can create the right culture..."
Flagg is in a neck-and-neck race with Charlotte's Kon Knueppel to take home the NBA's top rookie award. The No. 1 overall pick has had nothing short of a historic season, and while Knueppel's long-range shooting has been something to marvel at in its own right, he completeness does not compare to Flagg.
"Having a generational talent like Cooper Flagg should give everyone confidence - our fans, our team - that we're going to get back to the playoffs and that we're going to try to compete for championships as soon as we can," Dumont said.
"We're really passionate about this."
As Flagg leads the Mavericks one last time on Sunday night, Dumont will be preparing for a busy week and summer that lies ahead, knowing its one of the franchise's most pivotal decisions to date since its ill-fated trade of Luka Doncic in February 2025.
Dumont expects the next permanent GM to be in place "by the middle of May", which is earlier than the preliminary deadline of June set by Welts earlier this season.
"I really believe this is an extremely important offseason for this franchise," Dumont stated. "We're going to work tirelessly to get things right. We have a lot of work to do.
"Monday morning, we're going to get active, and we're going to talk to a lot of people," Dumont says. "And we're going to do our best to make sure that we find the best possible candidate to lead our basketball organization.
