Masai Ujiri said Cooper Flagg was the deciding factor in taking the Dallas Mavericks president of basketball operations job, vowing the franchise will win.
Masai Ujiri said at his introductory news conference Tuesday that Cooper Flagg is the reason he took the Dallas Mavericks job.
The Mavericks' new president of basketball operations and alternate governor ran through the rest of the league's young stars when explaining his decision.
"You got (Victor) Wembanyama for the next 15 years, Luka (Dončić) for the next 10, 12, 15 years," Ujiri said. "Anthony Edwards, 10, 12, 15 years. Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), 10, 12, 15 years. (Nikola) Jokić, 5, 7 years. Now, you have to convince me that I have to beat all those guys, OK? You have to come with something in your pocket. And in his pocket, he had Cooper Flagg. And I said yes."
Mavericks legend Rolando Blackman, who represented Dallas on the lottery stage last year when the franchise jumped to the No. 1 pick, was in attendance for the press conference. Ujiri pointed him out from the podium and brought up his own memory of that night as Toronto's representative.
"The great legend, who delivered the No. 1 pick last year ... I am appointing him to deliver another No. 1 pick," Ujiri said. "I was sitting right there, mad as hell because I was representing Toronto at the time. I went to watch him in practice, this long, quick guy. We get to the draft, I got my blue blazer on. I'm looking to jump from six to one. I jumped from six to nine. But you know what, God said I was going to get that guy. And I got him. I got him here."
Jason Kidd's Status With the Dallas Mavericks
Jason Kidd appears safe for now. In Denver, Ujiri kept George Karl as head coach for three seasons. In Toronto, Dwane Casey coached the Raptors for five years before Ujiri replaced him with Nick Nurse, a move that produced an NBA championship in 2019.
Addressing the Luka Dončić Trade
Ujiri also touched on the February 2025 trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Yes, there's a healing. Luka's a future hall of famer. That's the past," Ujiri said. "In Africa, we say, when kings go, kings come. A king went. We have a new prince here, that we're going to turn into a king. And I think we have to start thinking that way. We can't cry forever. I know there has to be a healing process here. We've gone through that a little bit. But we have something shiny here. And we're going to win here in Dallas."
The Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving Pairing
Mavericks fans have not yet seen Flagg play alongside Kyrie Irving, who tore his left ACL on March 3, 2025, and missed most of last season.
"I dream like you dream, like all of us dream," Ujiri said. "I want to see that. I know he's the best ballhandler in the game. I'm excited to see that. I think it's going to be pretty cool and it's going to help Cooper because Kyrie likes to play off the ball, too. And this is going to be interesting for us."
Dallas Mavericks 2026 NBA Draft and Free Agency
The Mavericks own a lottery pick, the No. 30 selection, and a second-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Free agency and the trade market will also be in play this summer.
The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery and Ujiri's first offseason in Dallas.