Masai Ujiri Delivers Powerful Statement on Luka Doncic, Cooper Flagg

The Dallas Mavericks named Masai Ujiri the organization’s team president and alternate governor on Monday, signaling a new era of front-office leadership.

Ujiri will oversee all aspects of the Mavericks’ basketball operations, filling the void left by the dismissal of now-former Dallas general manager Nico Harrison.

Harrison found himself in the midst of a firestorm of criticism after he decided to trade franchise centerpiece Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in early 2025, just a few months after the All-Star point guard led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. Harrison was ultimately fired by the organization in November.

While the Mavericks lost their beloved superstar, they gained a new franchise centerpiece with their No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 draft: Cooper Flagg.

Flagg just finished a stellar debut campaign, winning NBA Rookie of the Year.

Ujiri delivered a powerful statement about the departure of Doncic and the arrival of Flagg during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. He acknowledged that there’s going to be a “healing process” for Dallas fans, but recognized how lucky the team is to have a player like Flagg.

“In Africa we say ‘When kings go, kings come.’ And a king went, and we have a little prince here that we’re gonna turn into a king,” Ujiri said.

More Basketball: Timberwolves' Chris Finch Calls Out Officiating of Victor Wembanyama

“We’ve planted a flag here,” Ujiri added, making a pun off Flagg’s name. “We have one player here who can turn everything. That is so hard to find in sports.”

Ujiri spent 12 years as an executive for the Toronto Raptors, leading the franchise to its first and only championship in 2019. He was also named the 2012-13 NBA Executive of the Year as general manager for the Denver Nuggets.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 6:13 PM.