Sources: Mavericks hire Ujiri as president, alternate governor
The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to hire Masai Ujiri as their group president and alternate governor, touchdown a lead basketball govt with confirmed champion expertise after a six-month search course of, sources informed ESPN.
Ujiri was the architect of the Toronto Raptors‘ 2018-19 championship group, the spotlight of his 15-year tenure as a lead basketball govt within the NBA. He additionally received the Executive of the Year award in 2012-13 with the Denver Nuggets.
A information convention with Mavs governor Patrick Dumont and Ujiri is deliberate for Tuesday in Dallas, sources stated.
The hiring of Ujiri, whose groups in Denver and Toronto had a 690-504 report and made the playoffs in 12 of his 15 seasons in cost, follows a sample of Dumont pursuing skilled executives with spectacular credentials to run his franchise. I’ve employed former Golden State Warriors president Rick Welts as the Mavs’ chief govt officer in December 2024, luring the Hall of Famer out of retirement to run Dallas’ enterprise operations as the group begins planning for a brand new area.
The Mavs had preliminary curiosity in some present lead basketball executives of different franchises, significantly Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, sources stated. However, the Mavs moved on partly because of doubts that the Timberwolves would grant permission to have interaction in discussions with Connelly, who has one season remaining on his contract.
Ujiri, 55, was extremely beneficial to Dumont as he mentioned candidates with individuals throughout the league that he trusts, sources stated.
Dumont first met with Ujiri throughout a four-hour lunch in Las Vegas in December. Welts and Mavs president of enterprise operations Ethan Casson additionally met with Ujiri early within the course of.
Ujiri didn’t work within the NBA this season after the Raptors parted ways with him following the draft.
Over a number of conversations within the months since, Dumont turned assured that Ujiri excels within the areas that the Mavs’ governor thought-about a precedence for his new lead basketball govt, such as with the ability to construct a powerful tradition, possessing excellent communication expertise and a deep stage of dedication.
Mavs minority proprietor Mark Cuban, who offered the bulk share of the franchise to the Adelson and Dumont households in December 2023, was circuitously concerned within the search course of.
The Mavs’ lead basketball govt position has been open since Dumont fired normal supervisor Nico Harrison on Nov. 11. That determination was made after Dallas stumbled to a 3-8 begin amid continued, intense fan backlash stemming from the surprising commerce of perennial All-NBA choice Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2025, solely months faraway from the Mavs’ look within the 2024 NBA Finals.
After Harrison’s dismissal, Dallas pivoted to prioritize a long-term construct round No. 1 decide Cooper Flaggthe teenage sensation who received Rookie of the Year honors. Harrison had emphasised a “three- to four-year” window of contending with Kyrie Irvingwho sat out all the season whereas recovering from knee surgical procedure, and Anthony Davisthe oft-injured, 10-time All-Star huge man acquired as the centerpiece within the Doncic deal’s return.
The Mavs, whose entrance workplace was run the remainder of the season by Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi after their promotion to co-interim normal managers, traded Davis to the Washington Wizards earlier than the February deadline. That deal, through which the Mavs additionally shed the contracts of D’Angelo Russell and Jaden Hardywas primarily carried out to create monetary flexibility to reshape the roster this summer time.
Finley and Riccardi interviewed with Dumont through the search course of. Sources stated Dumont knowledgeable each of them over the weekend that the franchise would hire another person, expressing appreciation for his or her robust work underneath tough circumstances this season. Their futures with the franchise might be decided after discussions with Ujiri.
Dallas completed the season with a 26-56 report, giving the Mavs the eighth-best odds within the draft lottery.
While Dumont was affected person in his seek for Harrison’s successor, he deemed it essential to have a brand new hire in place prematurely of the NBA draft mix that begins May 10. This is a important draft for the Mavs, who shouldn’t have management of their very own first-round decide once more till 2031 because of trades made to construct a contending roster round Doncic. Dallas owns two first-round picks on this draft: its personal lottery decide and the No. 30 decide, which was acquired from Washington within the Davis commerce.
Ujiri has a deep background in scouting, breaking into the NBA as a scout in 2002 after his decade-long abroad enjoying profession ended. His draft picks for the Raptors included All-Stars DeMar DeRozan, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes.
Ujiri established a nonprofit known as Giants of Africa in 2003, a corporation increasing throughout greater than a dozen African international locations, holding camps and constructing basketball infrastructure as a strategy to establish and develop basketball expertise, as properly as enriching the lives of youth on the continent and inspiring them to chase their desires.
Last month, Ujiri joined the ownership group of the Toronto Tempotown’s new WNBA franchise that begins play this season.
