Dallas Mavericks: Is the New-Look Team the Real Deal?
The Dallas Mavericks’ offseason has been one of the most eventful in recent years. The Mavericks hired former Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri as their new Team President and Alternate Governor and former Portland Trail Blazers executive Mike Schmitz as their new General Manager.
Ujiri and Schimitz, who previously served as the Trail Blazers’ Assistant General Manager, are set to lead a struggling Mavericks squad. However, nothing is guaranteed. How will the Mavericks fare going forward?
Are the New-Look Dallas Mavericks the Real Deal?
The 2025-26 Dallas Mavericks team finished with a 26-56 record, placed 12th in the NBA’s Western Conference, and missed the NBA Playoffs for the second straight season. That being said, Dallas’ season ended in mid-April 2026, with no NBA Play-In Tournament nor Playoffs. Dallas was widely predicted to enter a critical offseason, and rightfully so.
The Mavericks started with the hiring of Ujiri, who helped the Toronto Raptors win their first NBA championship in 2019, and then the employment of Schmitz, who will oversee the Mavericks’ day-to-day basketball operations under Ujiri.
The team’s recent hirings are a step in the right direction, but the team should also add more three-point shooting and a complementary playmaker to share the workload with Cooper Flagg, while improving the frontcourt depth, with Kyrie Irving’s return from a torn ACL.
How Will the Mavericks’ New Hires Mesh?
The Mavericks’ new hires of Ujiri and Schmitz could mesh well together. Ujiri’s championship pedigree and readiness to make bold trades can complement Schmitz’s player development and success in international scouting.
However, there’s always a possibility that two parties won’t mesh well. It’s important to note that Ujiri’s championship mentality, authority-centered approach, and high-profile trades can clash with Schmitz’s scouting-driven style and possible status as a check-and-balance figure.
We’ll see what happens. But, for the time being, Ujiri recently said that he’s excited about Flagg, 19, playing with Irving, 34, in the 2026-27 NBA season. Flagg’s rookie season went swimmingly, with an NBA Rookie of the Year award, amid Irving’s season-long absence.
Ujiri recently told Mavericks Chief Communications Officer Gina Miller in an interview, “I think getting Kyrie back is going to be so important for this ballclub. Phenomenal, fantastic player. I think it’s going to actually help Cooper Flagg with how we play. The coaches are going to be in charge of all of that.”
The Mavericks’ Offseason Outlook
The Mavericks’ offseason is in progress. The Mavericks have several tradable contracts between $8 to 20 million and a $20.8 trade exception from the Anthony Davis deal. The Mavs have two first-round picks, a mid-lottery pick, and a 30th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, which is scheduled for June 23 to 24 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The Mavs might lean toward a guard such as Darius Acuff Jr. or Kingston Flemings, or a forward like Cameron Boozer or Nate Ament. Either way, this year’s draft offers the team a golden opportunity to pair Flagg with another rising star. This also represents the team’s last first-round pick they’ll control until 2031.
Mavs Head Coach Jason Kidd’s job in Dallas has been a hot topic in recent days. Kidd, 53, repeatedly denied that he knew anything about the Luka Doncic trade in February 2025, yet begged the Mavs’ fans to move on. In addition, Ujiri’s recent comments about Kidd’s future appeared to be non-committal, a potential concern for the 53-year-old.
