Mavericks just handed Masai Ujiri a major challenge that will shape the Flagg era

The Dallas Mavericks hired Masai Ujiri as their new President and Alternate Governor on Monday, but he already has a hard task in front of him. Building around Cooper Flagg is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but he isn't going to have the premium draft capital to do this easily.

Dallas doesn't have premium draft capital

Most teams have heaps of draft capital to utilize to build around their young superstar, but that isn't the case in Dallas. They're in a unique position after aggressively trading their draft picks to put a better squad around Luka Doncic, and drafting Flagg when they did has put them in a unique spot.

They landed the No. 1 overall pick in the lottery less than a year after making the NBA Finals, and while trading Anthony Davis helped them recoup some assets, their draft cupboard is bare compared to other teams that typically land the top pick.

The Mavericks don't fully control their own first-round pick after this year until 2031, and Ujiri has to nail their upcoming picks. Dallas has two first-round picks this summer, along with a second-round pick, and all of these selections will be crucial for them to build a contender around Flagg.

Their first pick is projected to be around the No. 8 spot, assuming they don't move up in the lottery on Sunday. Dallas will likely pick eighth or ninth if they don't jump into the top four, and this will be Ujiri's first big test as the team's head decision-maker.

This year's draft class is extremely loaded, but where the Mavericks land will play a huge factor in who they target. Moving up into the top four would guarantee they land a player with All-NBA potential, but remaining at eighth or moving down to ninth would make things much harder.

There is a significant drop-off in quality of prospect after the eighth pick, and Dallas has some big holes to fill. They have to improve their defense, shooting, and backcourt depth, and Ujiri will have his hands full when thinking about who will be Flagg's ideal running mate.

This is where Ujiri's experience will be tested

After this, he'll have access to the 30th pick along with the 48th pick, and both of these selections will be crucial to the Mavericks' future as well. Dallas doesn't own any picks after this summer until 2028, which is a pick swap with the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the following year, they have another pick swap. This isn't ideal, but Ujiri will be ready for it.

He helped lead the Toronto Raptors to their only NBA Championship in 2019, and this experience should help him in Dallas. This won't be a cakewalk for Ujiri, but if he can fully capitalize on the limited draft capital that he has, the Mavericks will be in an excellent spot.

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