Big swing by the Dallas Mavericks, and they finally got their guy.
Dallas has named Masai Ujiri president and alternate governor, handing him control of basketball operations after months of searching following the dismissal of Nico Harrison back in November.
This is a tone-setter move. Ujiri will oversee everything from roster construction to scouting to long-term vision, per the team, essentially stepping in as the top voice on the basketball side.
Owner Patrick Dumont didn’t hold back.
“Masai Ujiri is one of the great basketball leaders of this generation,” Dumont said, calling the hire a major step toward building a championship organization.
The Mavericks had been tied to names like Tim Connelly and Bob Myers, but couldn’t land interviews. So they pivoted, and landed someone with a title and résumé that carries real weight around the league.
Ujiri ran the Toronto Raptors for more than a decade, highlighted by the 2019 title, before parting ways last summer amid ownership changes and a stretch of uneven results. He spent the past year away from the NBA, staying busy but waiting for the right opportunity.
And this clearly checked the boxes.
“I’m honored to join the Dallas Mavericks,” Ujiri said. “We will win in Dallas.”
That’s the message. That’s the expectation. And now it’s his operation.
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