There will come a day, in the not too distant future, when every NBA team will have an owned and affiliated G-League team. It will be a place for them to develop young players — guys they drafted but need more run than they’d get in the NBA, guys on two-way contracts, and just players they like and want to give a chance. The NBA is more and more becoming a development league — and if the one-and-done rule is replaced with something akin to the baseball rule for players going to college, having a strong G-League team will matter even more.
Which is why the news that Mark Cuban is about to buy the G-League team already affiliated with the Mavericks makes sense. Marc Stein of The New York Times broke the news.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban is in talks to become majority owner of Dallas' @nbagleague affiliate (@TexasLegends), according to league sources
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 17, 2017
The @TexasLegends have served as the Mavericks' @nbagleague affiliate since their inception in 2010-11, with an ownership group headed by Mavs president Donnie Nelson and Dallas native Evan Wyly
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 17, 2017
If the ownership transfer comes to fruition, as expected, Dallas would become the 23rd NBA in the 26-team @nbagleague to hold majority ownership of its affiliate
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 17, 2017
While the name of the guys signing the checks will change with the Texas Legends, little else will.
It’s just another sign of the future in the NBA.
