Dallas Mavericks part ways with long-time president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson

The Dallas Mavericks said they have mutually parted ways with Donnie Nelson, the team's long-time president of basketball operations. 

“I just want to thank Donnie for his 24 years of service to this organization,” Mavericks Mark Cuban said in a team-released statement. “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 a part of the Mavs family and I wish him all the best.”

Nelson, who had been with the Mavericks for 24 seasons, oversaw a franchise that made the playoffs in 17 of the last 21 seasons. But despite Luka Doncic's emergence as an NBA star, the Mavericks have lost in the first round of the playoffs for two consecutive years. 

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A recent report published by The Athletic described tension within the Mavericks organization over the presence of Haralabos Voulgaris, who was hired in Oct. 2018 as the team's director of quantitative research and development. Cuban publicly dismissed the report that detailed Doncic has taken exception to Voulgaris and that he has influenced how Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle has handled his rotations

During his tenure, the Mavericks made the playoffs in 17 of the last 21 seasons, been to the Western Conference Finals three times, advanced to the NBA Finals twice, captured three division titles (2007, 2010, 2021), and won their first World Championship in 2011. Since Nelson joined the franchise the Mavericks have won 58.0% (1,087 of 1,873) of their games with three 60+ win seasons, including a franchise-record 67-win season in 2007, which tied for the sixth-best record in NBA history.

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