DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks have a preliminary agreement on a site for a new arena that would move the club out of downtown for the first time in 2031, a year after the franchise's 50th anniversary.
The Mavericks said Monday the agreement is for 104 acres on the former site of a mall about 10 miles north of downtown. Demolition of Valley View Mall in north Dallas was completed three years ago.
The team also was considering a downtown site at the current location of City Hall. The Dallas City Council is deep into deliberations over whether to renovate or replace that building.
Mavericks CEO Rick Welts has said the club wanted to have the potential site settled by July in order to be able to complete construction of a new arena by 2031, when the lease with American Airlines Center expires.
Welts and Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont have made it clear for nearly two years that they wanted the club to stay in Dallas, and they wanted to build a basketball-only arena.