In a major shakeup to the Dallas metroplex sports scene, both the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars announced plans to stop playing at the American Airlines Center in 2031, opting to build separate arenas in the northern part of the region.
The Dallas Mavericks’ new plans
The Dallas Mavericks have signed an option agreement for 104 acres in North Dallas on which to build a new arena and entertainment district. The site, formerly the Valley View Mall, will uproot the Mavs from downtown Dallas, where they have played for nearly fifty years. While Valley View is technically still Dallas, it is 13 miles north of the city center, and a 20-minute drive from the site of the current stadium (without traffic, which Dallas is notorious for). The development goal is to complete a basketball-centric arena by the time the Mavs’ current lease at American Airlines Center expires in 2031.
By looking for property outside of downtown Dallas, the Mavs will have more than enough space for their multi-use development. The location is conveniently located outside of the city center, and nearby routes include Interstate 635, the Dallas North Tollway, and Preston Road. However, it will not be linked to the Dallas light rail.
Despite efforts from city leaders to keep the team downtown by rebuilding on the old City Hall site, the Mavs decided to move on. The new arena will be accompanied by a luxury hotel, a concert venue, retail and dining, and the Mavs’ headquarters and training facility.
Team leadership has been emphatic that the entertainment district will not include a gambling component, despite the team being owned by the Adelson family, which owns the Las Vegas Sands casino empire. That may be easy to say right now, since casino gambling isn’t currently legal in Texas. An act to legalize sports betting on professional franchises failed to pass the Texas Senate in 2025 but could be reintroduced for voting in 2027. If it were legalized, there would likely be nothing to prevent the Mavericks from changing their minds, short of an agreement with the Dallas city government as part of the development contract.
The Dallas Stars’ new plans
The Dallas Stars are also looking to move on from the American Airlines Center. Stars management signed a letter of intent with the City of Plano to build an arena and entertainment district at the Willow Bend mall site. The Stars want to construct a building with potential for year-round revenue and experiences.
On June 8, the Plano City Council approved that letter of intent to move forward with the Stars’ plan.
While still in the early stages of planning, the Stars want to halve the number of luxury suites and increase premium seating near the ice at a new arena. They will replace the suites with more restaurants, bars, and social areas.
The proposed site is 18 miles north of downtown Dallas, and just nine miles from the new Mavericks arena.
The future of the American Airlines Center and Downtown Dallas
For Dallas sports fans, these near-simultaneous moves cement a transition away from sports in the heart of the city. The Cowboys moved from the Cotton Bowl to Irving in 1971, and then to Arlington in 2009. The Texas Rangers have only ever played in Arlington, which is also home to the WNBA’s Dallas Wings and the UFL’s Dallas Renegades (although the Wings will be relocating to downtown in 2027). FC Dallas, the area’s MLS franchise, plays in Frisco.
But what happens next at the American Airlines Center – and Downtown Dallas – will be very important to the local entertainment scene, not to mention the region as a whole. The arena was a catalyst for the revival of the downtown area since it opened in 2001. And the surrounding Victory Park area exists largely because the arena is its anchor.
Between the NBA, NHL, concerts, and other sports and family events, the venue hosted well over 150 events per year, drawing both locals and tourists to the area. With both teams opting for new arenas, the question of whether the American Airlines Center can survive will be front and center.
With both teams building new state-of-the-art venues, the area could end up with three full-sized arenas within 20 miles of each other if local officials decide to keep the American Airlines Center operating. If those venues split the major concerts and special events that come to the area, suddenly, instead of one arena being used at high capacity, there could be three arenas struggling to find enough programming to maximize the investment.
The same thing happened in Phoenix when the Coyotes moved to Glendale and the Suns stayed downtown. The area then had two venues competing for the same events, weakening both. Similar situations exist in South Florida (Kaseya Center and Amerant Bank Arena) and Minneapolis (Target Center and Grand Casino Arena). Philadelphia avoided such a conflict when the 76ers and Flyers agreed to build a new shared arena, while teams in Detroit, Chicago, and Boston share arenas despite having different ownership groups.
In fact, of the 13 cities that have both an NBA and NHL franchise, 11 currently share an arena (including Dallas).
And while some might believe that having multiple arenas in the same market could increase competition for concert and event bookings, it would be unlikely to lower costs for fans. Anything a promoter might save by having venues compete for bookings would likely end up in the pockets of artists and event organizers, not lower ticket prices.
Next steps
For arena chasers, the writing is on the wall: you’ve got five NBA/NHL seasons remaining to see a game at the American Airlines Center. The schedules for the 2026/27 season will be released for both leagues later this summer. Check out our Ultimate Sports Calendar to see everything happening in the Dallas area.
