Less than a week after being introduced as the Mavericks’ president of basketball operations, Masai Ujiri has pulled the trigger on his first major hire: Mike Schmitz is coming in as Dallas’ new general manager. Schmitz arrives from the Portland Trail Blazers and will handle the franchise’s day-to-day basketball duties while reporting to Ujiri, a key move as the Mavs barrel toward the draft lottery and a squeezed offseason that will test the new regime’s scouting chops and roster vision.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Schmitz said in a prepared statement, “Joining the Dallas Mavericks is an incredible opportunity.” The team announced Friday that he will help lead basketball operations, including scouting, player personnel, strategic planning and organizational collaboration across departments, and that he will report directly to Ujiri. In the same announcement, Ujiri called Schmitz one of the most respected evaluators and basketball minds in the NBA.
What Schmitz Brings
Schmitz built his reputation as a globe-trotting talent evaluator. He spent five years as an NBA draft analyst for ESPN and worked with DraftExpress before jumping to the Portland front office in 2022, roles that dropped him right in the middle of both pro and international scouting. ESPN and team reports credit Schmitz with hands-on work shaping draft boards and weighing in on roster construction in Portland. Around the league, his eye for player evaluation and his international contacts are seen as a natural fit with Ujiri’s long-standing habit of building through scouting and development.
Draft Day Pressure
The timing is not exactly subtle. Dallas heads into next month’s draft with three selections on the board: a first-round lottery pick plus picks at Nos. 30 and 48. Per The Dallas Morning News, Schmitz will be thrown straight into the deep end as the front office ramps up evaluations. The club said interim assistant GM Matt Riccardi will represent the Mavericks inside the lottery drawing room Sunday, while Schmitz gets to work shaping the strategy, even if he will not be the one seated next to Riccardi when the ping-pong balls fly.
Ujiri's Mandate
The hire underscores just how much authority Ujiri brought with him to Dallas. Team materials and league coverage say he will oversee every facet of basketball operations and has wide latitude to remake the front office. NBA.com and local coverage from Hoodline emphasize that he has the green light to bring in staff who match his long-term plan. In that setup, Schmitz will run the day-to-day machinery while staying aligned with Ujiri’s broader blueprint.
For Mavericks fans, the first big test of that blueprint will come quickly. A scouting-first approach puts a lot of weight on what Schmitz and Ujiri do in June and how they work the combine and potential draft-night trades. If Ujiri’s track record is any indication, expect Dallas to double down on global scouting and player development as it tries to speed up a rebuild around its young core.
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