Mavericks, GM Donnie Nelson mutually part ways
It's been a day of change in the NBA, and the Dallas Mavericks aren't about to be left behind. The team announced on Wednesday that it and longtime general manager Donnie Nelson have mutually decided to part ways.
The Dallas Mavericks and Donnie Nelson have mutually agreed to part ways. pic.twitter.com/YRg8pF15oG
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) June 16, 2021
"I just want to thank Donnie for his 24 years of service to this organization," team owner Mark Cuban said in a statement released by the team. "Donnie has been instrumental to our success and helped bring a championship to Dallas. His hard work, creativity and vision made him a pioneer. Donnie will always be part of the Mavs family and I wish him all the best."
Nelson has worked for the team since his father, Don Nelson, was named coach and general manager in the late 1990s. He drafted Dirk Nowitzki and traded for Steve Nash not long after he was hired in 1998, bringing in two future MVPs in a three-team trade. Nelson is also responsible for assembling the core of players who would bring the Mavericks their first and only NBA championship in 2011.
Sports bettor reportedly gained power within Mavs organization
While the Mavs' inability to get past the first round of the playoffs since their 2011 championship could be a factor in Nelson and the team deciding to part ways, it might go deeper than that.
Nelson's ouster comes just a few days after The Athletic published a report about tensions within the organization since Cuban hired sports bettor Bob Voulgaris as director of quantitative research and development in 2018. Since then, he's reportedly been involved in nearly every high-level decision that the Mavs have made, usurping power from executives like Nelson.
Source confirms that longtime president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson is parting ways with the Mavs, as reported by The Athletic.
Nelson had lost power since the hiring of Bob Voulgaris, creating internal tension.— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 16, 2021
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