DeMarcus Cousins: ‘I’m back, and I’m not looking back’

Despite agreeing to sell a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks to the Adelson family, Mark Cuban reportedly has no plans to exit the basketball side of the business in what is an unprecedented ownership maneuver.

“I don’t know exactly what the language is in the purchase agreement, but one thing I have been told, and the exact word I heard is Cuban will have basketball operations for quote forevermore,” said ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on the Brian Windhorst podcast.

“I assume that is agreed to in writing.”

Cuban, 65, has increasingly shifted his attention away from the business side of the Mavericks in recent years while remaining involved in basketball operations. However, Cuban has even taken a lesser role in basketball operations since hiring Nico Harrison to replace Donnie Nelson.

For the Adelsons, they appear to be more focused on their aspirations of building an arena and hotel in downtown Dallas while lobbying to change Texas state laws to permit gambling.

MacMahon also suggested that the decline of regional sports networks and how that will impact the revenue of sports teams played a role in Cuban’s timing to sell a majority stake.