{"id":134859,"date":"2026-01-23T08:59:30","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T08:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/134859\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T08:59:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T08:59:30","slug":"mavs-longtime-executive-michael-finley-offers-relatable-experience-as-trade-deadline-nears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/134859\/","title":{"rendered":"Mavs longtime executive Michael Finley offers relatable experience as trade deadline nears"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Mavericks<\/a> have been through an immense amount of change over the last two years, but Michael Finley has remained a constant presence.<\/p>\n

One of the longest-tenured members of the team\u2019s front office, Finley is in his 12th season as an executive in the city where he spent most of his 15-year career as a player.<\/p>\n

Finley developed into a trusted voice under former general managers Donnie Nelson and Nico Harrison. When Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont fired Harrison on Nov. 11<\/a>, Finley assumed the role of co-interim GM alongside Matt Riccardi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Matt<\/p>\n

Mavericks<\/p>\n

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The impromptu promotion for the assistant general managers presented a prime opportunity for them to lead the Mavericks through a pivotal juncture.<\/p>\n

Finley recently spoke to The Dallas Morning News about his relationship with Riccardi, whom he first met at an autograph signing in 1999. During that interview, he also offered perspective on how the team plans to approach the Feb. 5 trade deadline<\/a> and his experience transitioning from player to executive.<\/p>\n

\"Matt<\/p>\n

Matt Riccardi pictured with Michael Finley during a 1999 autograph session at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. The two would go on to become co-general managers of the Dallas Mavericks together.<\/p>\n

Courtesy Claudia Smith<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been different because as a player, you think you understand everything that\u2019s going on in the front office,\u201d Finley told The News. \u201cBut once you\u2019re a part of it, you realize you didn\u2019t know nothing. It\u2019s more than one plus one equaling two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finley entered this season as assistant GM and vice president of basketball operations, his fourth season in that role.<\/p>\n

After playing for Dallas from 1996-2005, Finley joined the San Antonio Spurs as a free agent. During his 4\u00bd seasons, he won an NBA title in 2007 and witnessed how former Spurs executive R.C. Buford and current Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti managed the organization. <\/p>\n

Then as an executive in Dallas, he saw firsthand the extreme highs of Harrison\u2019s tenure that led to a Finals appearance in 2024 and the plummet toward the bottom of the Western Conference standings<\/a> that led to the GM\u2019s dismissal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve learned from some of the best to do it, in my opinion,\u201c Finley said. \u201dSo to be able to learn from those guys, learn from their goods and their bads, it\u2019s been eye-opening, especially being able to relate to some of these players and some of the things that they\u2019ve been through.”<\/p>\n

Experience is one of Finley\u2019s most valuable assets and there\u2019s enough of it across his playing career to allow him to connect with nearly every player on the roster. The Phoenix Suns made him the 21st pick in the 1995 NBA draft and Dallas acquired him during his sophomore season in the infamous trade for Jason Kidd, now the Mavericks\u2019 head coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were teammates in Team USA. We were traded for each other,\u201d Kidd said of Finley earlier this season. \u201cI have the highest respect. Fin\u2019s an incredibly smart man. He\u2019s been in this game for a long time. I truly believe we\u2019re in good hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finley was a two-time All-Star playing alongside Dirk Nowitzki over nine seasons with the Mavericks. He ranks fifth in franchise history in points (12,389), fifth in rebounds (3,245) and ninth in assists (2,393).<\/p>\n

\"ORG<\/p>\n

ORG XMIT: S0358106345_STAFF NBA PLAYOFFS – DALLAS MAVERICKS VS. SAN ANTONIO SPURS – GAME 4 – REUNION ARENA – Dallas Mavericks’ forwards Michael Finley (4) and Dirk Nowitzki (41) discuss a play in the first half of game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs at Reunion Arena Saturday. The Spurs lead the series 3-0.<\/p>\n

Despite those accolades, Finley encountered his fair share of adversity, and he tries to communicate that to relate to players. <\/p>\n

\u201cLike I tell players, I\u2019ve been overlooked in the draft. I\u2019ve been traded. I\u2019ve been amnestied. I\u2019ve been waived. I\u2019ve been the first man on the bench. I\u2019ve been the 15th man on the bench,\u201c he said. \u201dEverything that you\u2019ve experienced, I\u2019ve experienced, so I pretty much know what you\u2019re going through.”<\/p>\n

Managing relationships is just as much a part of the job of an executive as managing the roster, which includes signing free agents, scouting for the annual NBA draft and facilitating trades, Finley said.<\/p>\n

Consistent communication and trust has been a theme for the regime of Finley and Riccardi. They plan to approach the trade deadline with those factors in mind. <\/p>\n

With exactly two weeks left, Finley understands the anxiety that could arise until the deadline passes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in that spot, and a lot of the players are uneasy around this time,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you just have to be yourself, encourage them to do their best as a Maverick. But at the end of the day, our job is to make the Mavericks better. If they\u2019re part of that solution, then we\u2019re gonna be fully supportive of making them part of the solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if we need them in a trade in order to make the franchise better, you have to have that conversation with them. And whether it\u2019s before the trade or after the trade, I just feel like if your relationship is strong, it won\u2019t change after that. That\u2019s the way I approach it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most midseason deals are orchestrated by one person \u2013 Harrison\u2019s trade of six-time All-Star guard Luka Doncic for 10-time All-Star forward Anthony Davis last year, for example. This year\u2019s trade deadline will be a collaborative effort between Riccardi and Finley<\/a>, with guidance from Dumont and Kidd, along with Mavericks vice president of basketball strategy and analytics Andrew Baker and Makhtar Ndiaye, the team\u2019s director of pro personnel and international scouting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all in constant communication to make sure that we\u2019re doing the best that we can to put the team in the best position to be successful,\u201d Finley told The News. \u201cIf the communication we\u2019re having is consistent, when we talk to other teams and agents, then I think that puts us in a good position to make a deal if you have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

X: @MikeACurtis2<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Golden<\/a>Steph Curry shows sign of \u2018mutual respect\u2019 by wearing Kyrie Irving\u2019s new signature shoes <\/a><\/p>\n

The two future Hall of Famers shared a moment during the Mavericks\u2019 win over the Warriors on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>Mavericks win fourth straight game behind Cooper Flagg\u2019s career night on the boards<\/a><\/p>\n

Head coach Jason Kidd challenged the Mavs rookie to get more rebounds. Flagg came through and then some on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>One Mavericks player officially off the table before NBA trade deadline<\/a><\/p>\n

Dallas is expected to make some moves before the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, but this won\u2019t be one of them.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>Breaking down which Mavericks could be moved before the NBA trade deadline<\/a><\/p>\n

The Mavericks could have several players on their way out of Dallas before the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.<\/p>\n

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Mavericks have been through an immense amount of change over the last two years, but Michael…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,2582,103,2868,4280,4281,3080,6538,6468,154],"class_list":{"0":"post-134859","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-dallas","9":"tag-dallas-headlines","10":"tag-dallas-mavericks","11":"tag-dallas-news","12":"tag-dirk-nowitzki","13":"tag-jason-kidd","14":"tag-mavericks","15":"tag-nba","16":"tag-nico-harrison","17":"tag-patrick-dumont","18":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}