Mavericks Reportedly Hire Masai Ujiri, Architect of Raptors’ 2019 Championship

Mavericks hire Masai Ujiri as new team president, per report: Former Raptors exec built 2019 championship club

Ujiri replaces former general manager Nico Harrison, who was fired in November

By Jasmyn Wimbish

May 4, 2026 at 12:14 pm ET • 1 min read

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The Dallas Mavericks have finally replaced former general manager Nico Harrison. The Mavericks are reportedly hiring former Toronto Raptors general manager and vice president Masai Ujiri, per  ESPN .

After a six-month process to find a replacement after firing Harrison in November, the Mavericks have selected the guy who will lead them into a new era of the franchise with Cooper Flagg as the face of the team. Ujiri comes with championship experience, having built the 2019 Raptors championship team that notably included the savvy trade of  DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard , which ultimately catapulted the Raptors to their championship.

Ujiri was with the Raptors for 12 seasons, during which Toronto made the playoffs in all but three seasons with him in charge of the front office. He'll bring a level of experience that Harrison severely lacked in Dallas.

This should officially close the book on the Harrison era in Dallas, who famously masterminded the trade that sent franchise centerpiece Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a deal centered around Anthony Davis . It's been a disaster for the Mavericks since, aside from lottery luck that landed them Flagg. Harrison was fired in November and Davis was traded back in February.

With Ujiri installed, the Mavericks can now look ahead to the draft lottery on May 10, where they hope for some more lottery luck to pair Flagg with another top prospect.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/mavericks-masai-ujiri-team-president/)._