Just hours after Dallas parted ways with longtime GM Donnie Nelson, current VP of basketball operations and former Mavericks All-Star Michael Finely has “immediately emerged” as a candidate for his replacement as head of basketball operations, according to The New York Times‘s Marc Stein.
Finley earned two All-Star selections during his nine seasons playing in Dallas (1996-2005) and went on to win a championship with the Spurs in 2007. He’s previously interviewed for a general manager role back in April 2020 with the Bulls, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
Nelson, who has 36 years of NBA experience, spent 24 years with the franchise, first starting in Dallas in January 1998. His departure comes in the wake of a recent report into issues brewing within the Mavericks’ front office.
According to The Athletic, star guard Luka Dončić does not have a good relationship with key members of the franchise’s leadership, including Haralabos Voulgaris—a highly respected sports gambler—who was hired by owner Mark Cuban in 2018.
However, Dončić is now eligible to sign a rookie max contract extension with Dallas after receiving All-NBA honors for two straight seasons.
MacMahon reported earlier on Wednesday that Dallas hired longtime English soccer executive Mike Forde’s Sportsology—a consulting firm used by NBA teams for hiring general managers—to assist the Mavericks’ search for a new president of basketball operations.
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