Houston native and former NBA great Slater Martin was hired as general manager and head coach.

Martin arrived in Oakland to represent the team, only to find out that Morrow and his group hadn't sent the required $30,000 bond.

Not surprisingly given the rough start, the Mavericks had a somewhat mediocre season, finishing 29–49, good for fourth place in the Western Division.

Morrow made a considerable effort in the offseason to improve the team, aggressively pursuing Houston Cougars stars Elvin Hayes and Don Chaney.

However, when they both opted for the NBA instead, Morrow turned the team back over to the league, being more in favor of marrying a woman he met at a Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim working at a registration desk who wasn't considered basketball-oriented.

ABA commissioner George Mikan was concerned enough about the situation in Houston that he sent the Mavericks several players in hopes of making them more attractive to fans.

However, Martin, who had previously teamed up with Mikan on the Minneapolis Lakers during the 1940s and 1950s, didn't appreciate this intervention from the league office and resigned a month into the season.

According to most reliable sources, the Mavericks padded the gate for most of the early-season games to make the attendance figures look more respectable than they actually were.

The Houston Mavericks played their final game on April 2, 1969, before only 89 fans (announced attendance), defeating the New York Nets 149–132.

The free throw streak and mark for a single game remain to this day as unbroken professional basketball records.