Who is Haralabos Voulgaris and why is he making waves in the Mavericks’ front office?

A lot has been made about Dallas Mavericks front office executive Haralabos Voulgaris.

Haralabos Voulgaris’ fingerprints have been all over the Dallas Mavericks‘ roster moves the last two seasons.

Prior to joining the Mavericks front office as the director of quantitative research and development, Voulgaris made his living as a noted sports bettor. The Greek Canadian has followed the game closely for years, famously making a small fortune betting on the “We Believe” Golden State Warriors, the No. 8 seed that beat the 2007 Dallas Mavericks in their first-round series.

Voulgaris was the subject of The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Tim Cato’s feature on Monday. Their article suggested Voulgaris has been overly involved in all the team’s front-office decisions for the last two years. While Donnie Nelson is still the team’s general manager, one anonymous source hinted that Dallas has two GMs. Obviously, owner Mark Cuban was not a fan of their article.

Dallas has not won a playoff series since winning the 2011 NBA Finals over the Miami Heat

Dallas Mavericks: Who is Haralabos Voulgaris and why is he so important?

While Voulgaris is not under contract for next season just yet, it should be noted that he has contributed a strained relationship with Luka Doncic in some capacity. Even if Doncic is good with presumably Cuban and most of the organization, Dallas has struggled to surround him with enough shooters to be able to win a playoff series. Doncic is the team’s present and future.

Though it seems that long-time head coach Rick Carlisle appears to be safe, we have to wonder if Voulgaris will get a third year in the Dallas front office. He supposedly overruled or played a major influence in the Mavericks drafting Josh Green and Tyrell Terry. Most of the front office reportedly was not on-board with those draft-day decisions. All the while, Dallas cannot win a playoff series.

Ultimately, Dallas has to make a series of changes this offseason. While Doncic will presumably sign the super-max once he is eligible for it this offseason, Dallas must do everything in its power to build around its new franchise cornerstone. Getting to the NBA Playoffs is no longer good enough for Dallas. The Mavericks have to get to the Western Conference Semifinals in 2022.

Even if Voulgaris becomes the scapegoat, Dallas must address its issues head-on this summer.