Dallas Mavericks Hire Former Toronto Raptors Executive

The team spent six months searching for a new Team President and Alternate Governor, but the extended time was well-spent to ultimately land Ujiri, who significantly contributed to the success of the 2018-19 Raptors championship team.

Ujiri’s contributions to the 2018-19 Raptors team were the highlight of his 15-year tenure in Toronto. He also won the 2012-13 NBA Executive of the Year award with the Denver Nuggets. In addition, Ujiri joined the ownership group of the WNBA’s Toronto Tempos on March 31, 2026. The Tempos are an WNBA expansion team scheduled to play in the league’s 2026 season.

Ujiri’s role with the Tempos includes jointly launching a global coaching mentorship program to offer professional support to up-and-coming female- and non-binary-identifying basketball coaches.

Mavericks’ Next Steps With Ujiri

The next steps with Ujiri include a news conference scheduled in Dallas on Tuesday. Mavericks Governor Patrick Dumont said in a statement, “The Dallas Mavericks are committed to being a world-class organization with a strong culture and focused on winning championships. 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.

“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. We are very excited about the future of our team.”

Team Outlook

The Mavericks’ outlook appears to be on the rise. Ujiri’s name was highly recommended to Dumont, who first met Ujiri for a four-hour lunch in Las Vegas in Dec. 2025. Since then, Dumont’s confidence in Ujiri rose.

The team initially had interest in several NBA executives, especially the Minnesota Timberwolves’ President of Basketball Operations, Tim Connelly. However, Dallas reportedly doubted that the Timberwolves would grant permission to engage in discussions with Connelly, who had one season left in his five-year, $40 million contract in Minneapolis.

The Mavs finished the 2025-26 NBA season with a 26-56 record and then earned the eighth-best odds in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Chicago’s McCormick Place on May 10, 2026.