Masai Ujiri's first Mavericks hire just gave them a major draft advantage

Less than a week after he was hired as the Dallas Mavericks' president and alternate governor, Masai Ujiri made his first move. He hired Mike Schmitz to be the team's new general manager, giving Dallas a massive advantage heading into the 2026 NBA Draft. Regardless of where they pick in the lottery, the Mavericks have an edge over other teams due to the fact that they have two elite talent evaluators as their leaders of basketball operations.

They don't need lottery luck this year, as they now have the evaluation to have a shot at winning the draft from any spot. Ujiri's history of finding lengthy, versatile wings from across the globe, combined with Schmitz's top-notch pre-draft knowledge, should make Dallas feel confident wherever they pick.

Why Schmitz can help Dallas win the draft from any spot in the lottery

This is where the advantage shows up. If the Mavericks jump into the top four, they are in position to draft a potential future superstar such as Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa, but Dallas will be fine if they don't move up and select around eighth or ninth. This isn't an ideal position for a team that lost 56 games, but they have the front office to find a diamond in the rough at eight or nine, or even with their second first-round pick at No. 30.

Schmitz was formerly the assistant GM of the Portland Trail Blazers from 2017 until this year, after spending five years with ESPN covering the NBA Draft as an analyst.

Schmitz is a scouting guru, as he worked for DraftExpress alongside Jonathan Givony from 2012 until 2017 before his gig with ESPN. He's not just a basketball guru. He has traveled the world scouting players at every level for over a decade while covering the NBA Draft, doing such a great job in the media space that he got a job with Portland after previously having no front office experience.

This type of hire gives the Mavericks the juice they need as they look to find Cooper Flagg's co-star in less than two months. The NBA Draft is on June 23 and 24 in Brooklyn, New York, and Dallas' draft plan will now be spearheaded by two basketball masterminds.

The 2026 NBA Draft is quietly one of the biggest drafts in Mavericks franchise history, and Schmitz, alongside Ujiri, gives Dallas an excellent duo leading their basketball operations department. They both share a love for international scouting, and their connections run deep.

Last year, the Mavericks struck gold at the NBA Draft Lottery by winning the rights to the No. 1 overall pick and later selecting Cooper Flagg. Now, a year later, they'll be hoping for the same kind of luck at the lottery this weekend. Sunday's lottery in Chicago will determine where the Mavericks will pick, and this will give fans a much better idea of the prospects that Schmitz and Ujiri will be deciding between.

Schmitz and Ujiri give Dallas a serious edge

Schmitz's rise from a video coordinator of the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA G League to DraftExpress to ESPN to Portland to Dallas illustrates the respect that he has garnered in the basketball community since graduating from the University of Arizona in 2012, and the draft will be Mavs fans' first chance to see what he's made of.

Schmitz was extremely high on Luka Doncic during the pre-draft process while at ESPN, and he was part of the front office that drafted Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan and traded for Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara. He has had his fingertips on many of the moves that helped Portland return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021 this season, and Mavericks fans will be hoping for many of the same type of moves as he begins his journey in Dallas.

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