A former star for the Wisconsin Badgers is facing perhaps the biggest challenge of his basketball career: Trying to clean up the mess that is the Dallas Maveric

Dallas opened a new chapter after firing GM Nico Harrison, but the result looked familiar. The Mavericks committed 21 turnovers in a 123-114 loss to the Suns despite a strong showing from rookie Cooper Flagg.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said city officials will take “all reasonable necessary steps” to keep the NBA’s Mavericks and NHL’s Stars within city limits. “My ad hoc committee on professional sports recruitment and retention will help guide this collaborative process,” Johnson said in his state of the city address Thursday.

As part of the unique agreement, Cuban retained ownership of 27 percent of the Mavericks and full oversight of basketball operations. That means Cuban and president of basketball operations Nico Harrison are still the central figures on the basketball side of the front office.

The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks square off in a Western Conference battle from American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Wednesday night.

Shortly before halftime in the Dallas Mavericks ’ matchup with the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, Mavs forward PJ Washington exited the floor and disappeared into the Dallas locker room.

To add to the woes, No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg is fighting through a pair of injuries. Flagg sprained his right thumb on Monday night and is still dealing with left shoulder pain from an ailment that originally occurred against Oklahoma City on October 27.

Preview the Dallas Mavericks' NBA matchup with Phoenix, including betting odds, tips, trends, and game information.