Former Timberwolves and Lynx chief executive officer Ethan Casson was named president of the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
Casson and chief operating officer Ryan Tanke left the Wolves organization when Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez took over as owners; Tanke was named COO of the Houston Rockets in June.
The 51-year-old Casson was CEO of the Timberwolves and Lynx for nine seasons, returning to Minnesota after being COO of the San Francisco 49ers. He was with the Niners when they moved to Levi’s Stadium, and Mavericks CEO Rick Welts hopes to have a new arena in downtown Dallas by 2031.
“The Mavericks are committed to being an elite professional sports franchise, and fundamental to that goal is adding top-tier executives like Ethan Casson to our senior management team,” Mavs owner Patrick Dumont said in a team release.
The Mavs share American Airlines Center with the Dallas Stars and are seeking to build their own arena before their lease expires in 2031.
“[Casson] will be my partner in charting the team into the future and will allow me to devote more time to our strategic priorities, including the building of our new arena and entertainment district in Dallas,” Welts said in a team release.
Casson started his sports administration career with the Timberwolves and oversaw corporate partnerships before leaving to join the 49ers in 2010. He returned in 2016 to work for Wolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor.
Kelly Laferriere, chief business officer at A-Rod Corp, is interim head of Wolves and Lynx business operations while Lore and Rodriguez seek a permanent CEO.
