The Mavericks fired Nico Harrison in November and spent six months trying to replace him. The search ended Monday with Masai Ujiri. The alternate governor title buried in the announcement is the detail that makes the wait worth it.
The Dallas Mavericks named Masai Ujiri team president and alternate governor Monday, ending a six-month search that began when Nico Harrison was fired in November.
The alternate governor title is the detail worth paying attention to. That seat previously belonged to Mark Cuban, who retained it after selling his majority stake to the Adelson family in December 2023. Dumont is now handing it to Ujiri, giving him voting authority on league matters and a genuine seat at the table when ownership-level decisions are made.
Cuban responded to the hire on Monday after Fox 4's Mike Doccy shared his reaction on Twitter. The quote was supportive but carried something underneath it.
"I like it," Cuban said. "He has experience. He has won. Most importantly, the owner he had in Toronto is very similar to Patrick Dumont. I think it will make it easier on Patrick and the organization to have someone with his credentials in charge."
Read that twice. Cuban is complimenting Ujiri while suggesting Dumont needed someone with real credentials to lean on. The comparison to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment owner Larry Tanenbaum, who trusted Ujiri completely and stayed out of the way during his tenure with the Raptors, is pointed.
That dynamic produced a 2019 championship. Cuban is implying Dumont has the same temperament, which reads less like a compliment and more like a reminder of what the right ownership structure looks like.
The alternate governor role carries real authority inside the NBA. The position represents the ownership group at league meetings when the governor is unavailable and holds voting power on league business. It is not ceremonial. The fact that Dumont is giving Ujiri that title rather than a standard basketball operations role signals how much autonomy he is handing over.
Ujiri inherits Cooper Flagg, two first-round picks on May 10, a returning Kyrie Irving and a roster with veterans whose value as trade assets exceeds their fit on a rebuilding team.
His first public statement set the tone simply. "We will win in Dallas." Monday was a significant day for the Mavericks franchise.