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The Mavericks have found their replacement for Nico Harrison.
On Monday, the franchise announced it was hiring former Raptors executive Masai Ujiri to be the team’s next president and alternate governor.
“I’m honored to join the Dallas Mavericks and step into this role at such an important time for the organization,” Ujiri said in a release. “This is a franchise with a proud history, passionate fans, and a commitment to winning. I look forward to working with our players, coaches, and leadership team to build something that reflects that standard and competes at the highest level. We will win in Dallas.”
Ujiri, who was the Raptors’ general manager when the team won the 2019 NBA title, replaces Nico Harrison, who was fired in November after infamously trading Luka Dončić to the Lakers a year ago.
It’s a significant hire for Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont, who lost favor with the team’s fanbase after the Dončić trade and previously hired another experienced executive, Rick Welts, to be the Mavericks CEO in 2024. Welts previously worked for the Warriors and Sonics, among other franchises.
Mark Cuban, who still owns roughly 27% of the Mavericks, was not directly involved in the search for Ujiri, according to ESPN. Cuban sold a majority stake of the Mavericks to the Adelson family in December 2023 for $3.5 billion. He was reportedly interested in hiring Pistons executive Dennis Lindsay to replace Harrison.
“Masai Ujiri is one of the great basketball leaders of this generation and his addition to our franchise is a critical step in meeting our goals,” Dumont said in a release. “We are honored to have him join the Mavs family. We welcome his energy and determination along with his leadership, experience and many accomplishments as a basketball executive.”
Ujiri served as Raptors GM from 2013 to 2025, following a stint in the same role with the Nuggets from 2010 to 2013. He recently became a part-owner in the WNBA’s Tempo, one of the league’s two new expansion franchises that will start play this month. He did not work in the NBA this past season.
In 2003, Ujiri started a nonprofit called Giants of Africa, which holds camps and basketball clinics across 12 African countries. Ujiri was born in England, but has Nigerian and Kenyan parents.
The 55-year-old inherits a Mavericks roster that is rebuilding around Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg after Harrison’s vision post-Dončić failed due to injuries to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, the latter of whom was the prized return from the Lakers.
The Mavericks’ front office was co-operated by Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi after Harrison was fired. Both men interviewed for the top job, and their futures with the organization will be determined after a meeting with Ujiri, ESPN reports.
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