Mavericks finally erase Nico Harrison's biggest weakness with Masai Ujiri

One thing that Dallas Mavericks fans will always remember about Nico Harrison's time with the team is that he wasn't the best speaker during press conferences. He immediately made a joke during the press conference following the Luka Doncic trade, alluded to Cooper Flagg landing in Dallas because "fortune favors the bold," and much more. He even admitted that he didn't fully understand how much Doncic meant to the city of Dallas.

Harrison was never the best when the cameras were on him, but things just changed for the better in this department for Dallas. They hired Masai Ujiri on Monday, and he has plenty of experience when talking to the media.

Ujiri represents a complete reset from Harrison

He's known for having great connections with his players and those around the league, and he has a deep understanding for his teams and how they operate. He isn't afraid to make big moves and articulate why his team needed to make that move, and his rapport with his staff should make him a well-liked figure in Dallas — especially if they have a successful 2026-27 season.

While Harrison helped lead the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024, his reputation among fans quickly tanked over the last 15 months.

His nightmare quotes made the process after the Doncic trade a nightmare, and things seemingly got worse every time he touched a microphone. Harrison made it extremely hard on the Mavericks toward the end of his tenure due to some stuff he said, and some of these comments made him public enemy No. 1 in the eyes of many Mavericks fans.

After hiring Ujiri, he now has a chance to change this. He is known as one of the best basketball minds in the world, and his experience as lead executive for the Toronto Raptors puts him in a great position to repair the Mavericks' image. Drafting Cooper Flagg and firing Harrison has already helped do this over the last year, but bringing in Ujiri is the cherry on top.

Ujiri can win over Dallas immediately

Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont wanted someone who could face the media while being a central figure of Mavericks basketball. Dumont himself isn't the most fond of press conferences, but he prefers for the people he gives power to speak with confidence and clarity.

Harrison obviously struggled here, but Dumont and company completely flipped the script by bringing in Ujiri. His first chance to speak to the media as Dallas' president and alternate governor and win over Mavericks fans is later today, and if his track record from Toronto is any indication, Dallas solved one of its most embarrassing former problems.

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