Masai Ujiri's Response to Luka Doncic Question is What Mavericks Fans Want to Hear

The Luka Doncic trade is one that Dallas Mavericks fans may never be able to get over. It destroyed a fanbase, destroyed a city, possibly destroyed some careers, and nearly destroyed a franchise. Had the Mavs not lucked into Cooper Flagg, they were staring down a long tunnel of ineptitude.

However, the Mavericks have a new person running the team. Masai Ujiri was announced as Team President and Alternate Governor on Tuesday, and during his introductory press conference, he was asked about that trade, and he gave the respectable answer Mavs fans have been dying to hear.

"I want to be very respectful for everyone here, and yes, there is a healing process with that. Luka is a future Hall-of Famer," Ujiri started. "That's the past. We say in Africa, 'When kings go, kings come.' A king went, and we have a little prince here that we're going to turn into a king.

Masai Ujiri on fans' feelings moving on from the Luka trade and building around Cooper 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."

(via @dallasmavs on YT) pic.twitter.com/pPHyNIuvnY
— DLLS Mavs (@DLLS_Mavs) May 5, 2026

"...He is a hall of fame player, he's gone. He'll always be a Maverick. We'll celebrate him in the best possible way, like we're going to celebrate all the Maverick players and stars that have been here. But we really have to move on... It's not for me to start criticizing what anyone else is doing, it's for me to criticize what I am doing... If I continue harping on that, then I think all of you are going to be asking what I am doing. I have to look to the future, because winning is what we have to do here."

All Mavericks Fans Have Been Wanting is to Respect Luka Doncic

Since the moment the infamous trade was made, Mavericks fans were shocked by how much the franchise was trying to erase any mention of Luka Doncic from its history. With how beloved he was, it was hurtful to see him treated like that.

Masai Ujiri did a few things with those statements: respected the fanbase, respected Doncic, and acknowledged that it's time to look to the future. Jason Kidd has tried making similar remarks, but it comes off in a way that rubs fans the wrong way.

It has been time to move on, but the franchise made it hard. Ujiri's graceful comments should make it a much easier process, and Mavs fans can officially look forward to rooting Cooper Flagg on for a long time. That is Ujiri's focus, and should be the fanbase's focus, too.

Add us as a preferred source on Google