Masai Ujiri Hired as Mavs Team President, Won 2019 NBA Title With Raptors

The Dallas Mavericks are bringing in an NBA champion as their new team president.

On Monday, Dallas hired Masai Ujiri as team president and alternate governor.

ESPN's Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon first reported the news.

Ujiri is best known for putting together the Toronto Raptors squad that won the NBA championship during the 2018-19 campaign. He was with Toronto from 2013 until 2025.

While Ujiri did not work in the NBA during the 2025-26 campaign after he and the Raptors parted ways following the most recent draft, he has an extensive history of success in the league after breaking through as a scout in 2002.

He counts a 15-year tenure as a lead basketball executive for the Denver Nuggets and Raptors on his resume and was the league's Executive of the Year in 2012-13 when he was with the Western Conference club.

Ujiri's teams went 690-504 and made the playoffs in 12 of his 15 seasons

Charania and MacMahon reported Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban was not directly involved in the hiring process that "follows a pattern of [governor Patrick] Dumont pursuing experienced executives with impressive credentials to run his franchise."

Dumont also hired former Golden State Warriors president Rick Welts as the team's chief executive officer in December 2024 and "became confident that Ujiri excels in the areas that the Mavs' governor considered a priority for his new lead basketball executive, such as being able to build a strong culture, possessing outstanding communication skills and a deep level of commitment."

With Toronto, Ujiri drafted DeMar DeRozan, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes. He also brought in Kawhi Leonard, which ended up being the most important move that led to the franchise's first championship.

As for the Mavericks, the front office has been under the spotlight ever since the team traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in a move that led to plenty of backlash and questions.

Dallas eventually fired general manager Nico Harrison early in the 2025-26 season and elevated Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi to co-interim general managers. While the team went 26-56 and failed to make the playoffs, it traded Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell and Jaden Hardy and has more financial flexibility moving forward.

It also has Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg as a centerpiece to build around for the foreseeable future, which puts it in a better position than a number of other clubs that find themselves in rebuilding position.

The Mavericks now have someone to lead that rebuilding process, and it might not take long to return to the playoffs given Ujiri's track record.