The Dallas Mavericks made something of a surprising hire on Friday after welcoming Masai Ujiri in as president of basketball operations and alternate governor in a press conference on Tuesday.
The Mavericks announced that Mike Schmitz will be the team’s next general manager, working under Ujiri. All of a sudden, the uncertainty surrounding Ujiri’s titles, neither of which were “general manager,” becomes a little clearer.
Schmitz comes to Dallas from the Portland Trail Blazers, where he has served as assistant
GM since 2022. He is widely regarded as a keen talent evaluator. Shams Charania of ESPN first reported the news.
Schmitz worked as an NBA Draft analyst for ESPN before the Blazers hired him in 2022. Portland’s picks during Schmitz’s tenure in the Trail Blazers’ front office include Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Kris Murray, Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen.
Schmitz was suspended for two weeks without pay by the NBA in April after the team self-reported that Schmitz and his fellow co-general manager, Sergio Oliva, made illegal contact with Yang in 2023, two years before the youngster from China was eventually drafted by the team. The NBA fined the Blazers $100,000 for that self-reported violation.
In Dallas, Schmitz will “oversee the day-to-day management and strategic alignment of the Mavericks’ basketball operations department,” according to a press release from the Mavericks’ PR machine. His experience across both domestic and international ball-knowing landscapes make him a unique fit under Ujiri, who also specializes in procuring talent from overseas.
“Mike is one of the most respected evaluators and basketball minds in the NBA,” Ujiri said in the release. “He brings intelligence, discipline, humility and a relentless work ethic to everything he does. Just as importantly, he understands how to build an aligned, collaborative culture across every part of a basketball organization. We are building something special in Dallas, and Mike will be a major part of that vision.”
At least part of Schmitz’ quote in the release will be of interest to those fans wondering what the move means for Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, who served as co-interim general managers for most of the 2025-26 season, following the highly satisfying ouster of former GM Nico Harrison.
“Joining the Dallas Mavericks is an incredible opportunity,” Schmitz said in the release. “I have tremendous respect for Masai, this ownership group and the vision they have for the future of this franchise. I’m excited to get to work alongside the talented people already in place and help build a championship-caliber organization.”
Finley and Riccardi are net positives in the front office, even if they didn’t have the juice to squeeze the GM seat in the end. The fact that Schmitz acknowledged “the talented people already in place” may bode well for Fincardi’s future with the organization.
Schmitz has worked as an assistant coach for the Ugandan national team since 2018 and traveled around the globe as a scout for DraftExpress since 2012. Schmitz worked as a video coordinator for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA G League during the 2012-13 season. He is a 2012 graduate of the University of Arizona.
