Before the Dallas Mavericks announced the hiring of team president Masai Ujiri, very little had been reported on the search. Every couple months between the November firing of Nico Harrison and this month’s hiring, there would be a sprinkle of insight into team governor Patrick Dumont’s thinking. The team made it clear that they would let the season play out, that the interim leadership would be considered, and a shortlist of recognizable industry names were sought after. And while Ujiri’s name floated
in that reporting, traction on that or others remained silent.
Looking at that candidate list one could gather that Dumont was most interested in flashy names, some even completely unattainable. Forgive me if I read that reporting and felt past traumas of Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson-led free agency strategy of aiming for whichever top tier target existed only to strike out and keep the powder dry.
Even more surprising was the announcement days later that Ujiri had named draft expert and former Portland Trail Blazers assistant general manager Mike Schmitz as team general manager. With these hirings and the skillsets each leader brings, the organization has found experience and balance that the team hasn’t had in quite some time.
Their first task is finding a new head coach to lead them into this new Mavericks era, after Tuesday’s announcement that the team had mutually parted ways with Jason Kidd. This important next step officially initiates the Ujiri-Schmitz era — one that hopefully allows the pair to install a new vision around Cooper Flagg.
The last 24 months at Mavs HQ has been anything but calm. Few pro franchises, in any sport, have experienced the emotional highs and personal devastation in such short, public order. Dumont has faced such a steep learning curve since taking over in January 2024, with a rapid fire sequence of mistakes across 2025 that required extreme damage control.
Before that damage was done Dumont seemed content for the operational leader — at the time, Nico Harrison — to run the team as he saw fit. And boy did he. With Tuesday’s decision, and the press conference on Wednesday where Ujiri made clear that the decision to move on from Kidd was his alone, it underlines that Dumont is handing the keys over to Ujiri to the run the team as well. The difference between the former leader and this one, is a wealth of experience and a stable presence that the team sorely missed in the Harrison era.
In Wednesday’s presser Ujiri spoke of a “new slate” and a unified direction with all leaders to build under the same shared vision. That vision starts with Schmitz, who steps into the role for the first time, with his previous stint in Portland after making his name in global NBA draft scouting. And their relationship has been in depth and unified.
“I’ve worked with him how many years in this league, scouring, scouting the whole world. Whether it’s in Uganda, Russia, Serbia, or South America — we’ve been all over the world together,” Ujiri shared about his relationship with press Wednesday. “You see the basketball mind, you see the strategy, you see the people relationships, you see the respect for an organization. And you see the focus on winning. And the focus on direction.”
In the few short weeks Ujiri has been at the helm, and the even fewer times he’s spoken publicly, it’s clear that he brings clarity and intention in the way he communicates. He speaks with an authority and integrity that quite frankly the organization has lacked. And while their could be questions about how tapped in he still is with an ever-evolving league landscape after a slow fade in Toronto, the addition of Schmitz effectively balances his potential gaps with a young, development forward, general manager who has a deep global knowledge of the game. They will compliment each other in leading this team.
Now they’ll be on the lookout for the final leadership piece. Ujiri didn’t elaborate much on who he’ll be looking for to lead their bench. He clarified that he hasn’t yet spoken to any candidate directly, but will take an aggressive approach to finding the right match, as they align the team to Cooper Flagg’s timeline. It’s worth unpacking that the other two times he’s hired a head coach, both did not previously have NBA head coaching experience — something he acknowledged on Wednesday, but said it was out of circumstance. He will leave no stone unturned in finding the right match. And with the draft nearly a month away, expect that to progress quickly.
