DALLAS — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here.

Dallas Mavericks CEO Rick Welts says the team remains committed to staying in the City of Dallas and he hopes to have a site identified for a new arena by the end of the year.

Welts provided an update on the arena plans on April 15 amid an intense closed-door meeting with general manager Nico Harrison and a small group of Dallas media, where most of the discussion focused on the Luka Dončić trade and the team’s effort to repair its relationship with an angry fanbase.

Mavericks and city officials have had several meetings, as recently as on April 11, Welts said. While the Mavericks intend to fulfill the existing lease at American Airlines Center, which expires in 2031, he said the team needs to move quickly to have a new venue built and ready to play in by the 2031-32 season.

For the Mavericks, the search for a site in Dallas has also coincided with a potential plan for a possible arena in Irving. Las Vegas Sands Corp., a casino gaming company majority-owned by Miriam Adelson and her family, sought rezoning of a 182-acre plot in Irving near the site of the old Texas Stadium, nestled between the Trinity River and State Highway 114. Adelson and her family are also majority owners of the Mavericks.