Mavericks Continue Front Office Revamp, Hire Draft Expert From NBA Playoff Team as GM

The Dallas Mavericks are in the process of overhauling their front office. They hired Masai Ujiri to be the team president and alternate governor earlier in the week, but the expectation was that he would still look for a general manager to be under him.

That proved to be correct, as the Mavericks announced on Friday that they have hired Mike Schmitz to be the team's new general manager. Schmitz was the assistant general manager for the Portland Trail Blazers most recently, but has been with the franchise since 2022. Before that, he was a draft analyst for ESPN, working for DraftExpress since 2012, when he graduated from Arizona.

Schmitz will oversee the "day-to-day management and strategic alignment of the Mavericks’ basketball operations department."

There is already a massive emphasis being placed on personnel and the scouting department, as Masai Ujiri thrived in it with the Raptors, getting his start in the NBA in scouting. Schmitz was with DraftExpress for a decade, giving him plenty of scouting experience, as well.

Schmitz issued a statement via the Mavericks' website. “Joining the Dallas Mavericks is an incredible opportunity,” Schmitz said. “I have tremendous respect for Masai, this ownership group, and the vision they have for the future of this franchise. I’m excited to get to work alongside the talented people already in place and help build a championship-caliber organization.”

Masai Ujiri also released a statement: “Mike is one of the most respected evaluators and basketball minds in the NBA. He brings intelligence, discipline, humility, and a relentless work ethic to everything he does. Just as importantly, he understands how to build an aligned, collaborative culture across every part of a basketball organization. We are building something special in Dallas, and Mike will be a major part of that vision.”

The Dallas Mavericks have hired Mike Schmitz as the franchise's new general manager under Masai Ujiri.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 8, 2026

What Does This Mean For Other Mavericks Executives?

Masai Ujiri was expected to meet with current assistant GMs Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley to see what their roles within the organization would be. They took over as co-interim GMs once Nico Harrison was fired, and they performed admirably. However, they may not be getting the promotion they thought they'd get.

Riccardi is still set to represent the Mavericks at the NBA Draft Lottery for the drawing. While franchise icon Rolando Blackman will be the on-stage rep, Riccardi will be in the room where the lottery ping pong balls are drawn from, so he'll know before anyone else does whether the Mavs have won the lottery for a second year in a row. That seems to indicate he could be back in some form.

What Michael Finley's role will be remains a mystery.

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