The Mavericks' best GM option is hiding in plain sight as fans chase big names

Masai Ujiri's success should make him a top pick for the Mavericks' GM job.

Jaren Boslow

Dallas Mavericks, Cooper Flagg / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

For months now, one of the biggest questions surrounding the Dallas Mavericks organization has been who will be the long-term general manager. While some reports have fans hopeful that the Mavericks may be able to lure some of the biggest GM names in the league, others believe the Mavericks should look internally; however, the Mavericks should look externally at this perfect candidate who hasn't been talked about much in Mavericks circles.

After parting ways with the Toronto Raptors in the summer of 2025, Masai Ujiri has been on a mission to reclaim glory for the city of Toronto. After being hired by the Toronto Tempo (the new WNBA expansion team), he mentioned he wants to win another championship in the NBA after not being able to celebrate the success of his 2019 NBA Finals win with the Raptors. Dallas would be the perfect destination.

Ujiri is the perfect GM to build around Cooper Flagg

Ujiri has long been one of the NBA's best executives, even winning the league's best executive of the year honors in 2013 and pushing the Raptors to their first NBA championship in 2019. While Ujiri hasn't been a hot name since his firing in 2025 and Toronto's overall lack of success over the last five or six seasons, he has no doubt become one of the best basketball minds the modern NBA has seen.

Not only would Ujiri be easy to snag, considering he doesn't have a current job in the NBA, but he has mentioned that he wants to win another championship in the NBA, and Dallas may give him the perfect opportunity to achieve that goal. With a young star already in place, Ujiri would need to build the puzzle of surrounding Cooper Flagg with a solid team and base.

Since before his firing, teams had attempted to pry Ujiri out of Toronto, but after spending 13 seasons with the organization, it's no wonder that he stayed loyal to the very last moment.

In Dallas, Ujiri would have the opportunity to build the same model with an already fairly broken roster surrounding Flagg. In other words, Ujiri's fingerprints could be all over Dallas' next championship squad, and that's an opportunity he may not be able to pass up.

Ujiri may not be the flashiest name, but he may be the most realistic

Compared to names like Sam Presti, Brad Stevens, and Tim Connelly, Ujiri may not rank high, but his availability might make him the best candidate. Ujiri has been around the game for decades and may not share the modern success those names have seen, but he could be someone Dallas envisions building the right foundation around a young Flagg.

Dallas still has the opportunity to look internally to fill their GM void with either Matt Riccardi or Michael Finley, but if Ujiri truly wants to return to the NBA and win another championship, Dallas may have to bite the bullet on an outside hire.

It's unclear when the Mavericks will exactly hire a name as their next GM, but it's a very real possibility that it could be before the June 25 draft, and Ujiri's name should absolutely be considered for the Mavericks.

Jaren Boslow

Jaren Boslow is a contributor for The Smoking Cuban, where he has been covering the Dallas Mavericks since the beginning of the 2023-24 season. Jaren is currently an undergrad student at the University of North Texas studying sports journalism. In addition to writing for The Smoking Cuban, Jaren is the beat writer for the North Texas men's and women's golf teams. While Jaren has only recently gotten into the journalism side of sports, he has been a longtime fan of the Mavericks for over a decade. Through his passion for sports and Mavericks basketball, Jaren offers a unique perspective to fans of the Dallas Mavericks. Outside of covering Mavericks basketball, Jaren is a full-time student who enjoys working out and spending quality time with friends.