Masai Ujiri has controlled Mavericks basketball since May 4. Mark Cuban, who owns 27%, says he has spoken with him once, for about 120 seconds.
DALLAS — Masai Ujiri has controlled basketball operations for the Dallas Mavericks since May 4. Mark Cuban, who holds 27% of the franchise, said Friday that he has spoken with Ujiri on the phone once, for about 120 seconds.
Cuban responded to emailed questions from Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News a day after his investment group purchased a minority stake in the Athletics.
"I absolutely expected it when they hired Masai," Cuban said. "That's why they hired him. To run basketball."
Ujiri was named president of basketball operations and alternate governor on May 4, ending a search that ran several months. Governor Patrick Dumont first met with him over a four-hour lunch in Las Vegas in December. Chief executive officer Rick Welts and president of business operations Ethan Casson met with Ujiri early in the process as well.
Ujiri is 55. Running the Denver Nuggets, he was named NBA Executive of the Year in 2012-13. He returned to Toronto the following season and built the roster that won the 2019 championship. His teams in Denver and Toronto went 690-504 and reached the playoffs in 12 of his 15 seasons in charge. Ujiri did not work in the NBA last season after the Raptors parted ways with him following the 2025 draft. Earlier this year, he joined the ownership group of the WNBA's Toronto Tempo.
Fifteen days after Ujiri's hiring, the Mavericks and Jason Kidd agreed to part ways. At a news conference on May 20, Ujiri said the Luka Dončić trade played no part in the decision. He said the franchise "needed a clean slate to go forward."
Mike Schmitz was hired as general manager days after Ujiri's introductory news conference. Dusty May was named head coach on June 23, a day before the draft, and was introduced on June 29.
"We want to bring joy back to basketball here," Ujiri said at that news conference.
Dallas took Morez Johnson Jr. ninth overall in the June draft. Later in the first round, the Mavericks traded up five spots for Sergio de Larrea, sending the New York Knicks the thirtieth pick and two second-rounders. Tobi Lawal went to Dallas at 48 on a two-way deal. The Mavericks sent cash to the Los Angeles Lakers for the rights to Vsevolod Ishchenko at 56.
A six-team trade brought Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser, and the draft rights to Tarik Biberovic to Dallas, with Aldama and Biberovic coming from the Memphis Grizzlies. On July 19, the Mavericks acquired Zaccharie Risacher in a three-team trade. Ryan Nembhard went to Atlanta in that deal.
Ujiri has said the offseason would be built around the future of the roster rather than the present. Dallas finished 26-56 last season. Cooper Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals as a rookie and won Rookie of the Year. Kyrie Irving is returning from a torn ACL.
Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford remain potential veteran trade candidates in Dallas to monitor. Gafford is under contract for three more seasons at $54 million. Thompson is owed $17.5 million this season.
Cuban's companies filed a Rule 202 pre-suit petition against Dumont in Dallas County District Court on July 8 over the franchise's planned arena development. Cuban declined on Friday to discuss it.
The Mavericks have 15 players on standard contracts and all three two-way spots filled. Roughly $15.6 million remains on the trade exception created by the Anthony Davis deal in February, and Dallas has the full $15 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception available. Training camp opens later this fall.
