‘President Mark Cuban’? What’s Dallas Mavs Owner Planning with $3.5 Billion NBA Sale?

Reports say that Mark Cuban retains full control over basketball operations after selling a majority stake of the Dallas Mavericks to Miriam Adelson … but could this lead to Cuban’s run for President of the United States? Not so fast.

Are we witnessing the end of an era in Dallas sports? Well … yes and no, for now at least.

According to multiple reports, Mark Cuban, who has been the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks for nearly 25 years, is selling a majority stake of the team valued around $3.5 billion to Miriam Adelson and her family, who are also the largest shareholders in Las Vegas Sands.

So what does all of this mean? Is Cuban no longer in charge? Not quite, as NBA insider Marc Stein reports that Cuban has a unique structure to selling his majority stake.

“League sources say that the deal, which requires NBA approval and is already being vetted at league level, would leave Cuban with a stake in the franchise and, most crucially, enable him to retain operational control of the team's basketball dealings,” Stein writes.

“The unique structure of the agreement, mind you, figures to hold far greater appeal to Cuban than making a deal at a higher franchise valuation, since it is poised to allow him — for the foreseeable future — to function with the same hands-on ownership style he has employed for nearly 24 years.”

We’ve already covered how this move by Cuban could be a strategic one, as he has visions for a new Mavs arena in the future that would also be a huge casino, something the Adelson family could help with, especially when it comes to potentially making gambling legal in Texas. (See our Mike Fisher’s column below.)

Who's 'Miriam'? How Mavs' Sale Helps Cuban Bring Las Vegas-Style Casinos & Resorts to Dallas

But, as many have been wondering amid the news of Cuban’s sale, could this be the beginning of him gearing up for a run at being President of the United States? 

Although it’s a rational thought to consider, especially since Cuban has become somewhat of an American hero with the great success of his pharmaceutical company, Cost Plus Drugs, which provides the lowest prices possible for generic drugs by cutting out the middle man, we might want to pump the breaks on that idea, as Cuban tells DallasBasketball.com that his main focus for the foreseeable future is “Cost Plus and Mavs and [my] kids.”

Cuban’s mindset could change one day. After all, there was a time not too long ago where he stated that he’d never sell the Mavs, but sometimes opportunities arise that can’t be passed up. For now, though, “President Cuban” isn’t in the cards.