Report: Mavericks hiring Masai Ujiri as team president

Masai Ujiri is once again joining an NBA team south of the border.

the former Raptors president has been hired as the Dallas Mavericks’ new team president and alternate governor, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon.

He replaces Nico Harrison, who was let go from his role in November.

To add some context, Ujiri and the Raptors parted ways this past June after 13 seasons, including a 2019 NBA Title. Ujiri joined the Raptors as the team’s vice president and general manager, replacing Bryan Colangelo. He helped turn the Raps into a consistent playoff team, making the postseason in seven straight seasons.

In Ujiri’s final season, the Raptors went 30-52, failing to make the NBA Playoffs for a third straight year. However, Sportsnet pointed out that the team that made the playoffs this year was largely assembled by Ujiri, although the team fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.

With his new team, he will head up a club that has been through a pretty major rollercoaster in the past year and a half following Nico Harrison’s bizarre trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. Funnily enough, the Mavericks have since traded Davis to the Washington Wizards for for Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, AJ Johnson, a 2026 first-round pick (via OKC), a 2030 protected first-round pick (via GSW), and three second-round picks.

Dallas also managed to land the firt overall pick and select Cooper Flagg, who in his rookie season averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists while shooting 46.8 per cent from the field, and 82.7 per cent from three.

Ujiri recently took on an ownership role with the WNBA’s Toronto Tempo, and an advocate position with the United Nations.