The Dallas Mavericks have made two massive front-office hires this week, bringing in Masai Ujiri as team president and alternate governor, and hiring Mike Schmitz as general manager. Ujiri brings championship experience from his time with the Toronto Raptors, while Schmitz is a renowned scout, known mostly for his work with ESPN’s DraftExpress, but he’s been with the Portland Trail Blazers front office since 2022.
Hiring these two executives to run the basketball operations shows a new focus for team building: drafting. That may sound basic, but the Mavericks have never really been an organization that focuses on the draft. They’ve been able to secure generational superstars throughout their history, such as Dirk Nowitzki, Luka Doncic, and Cooper Flagg, but building teams around those stars has generally come through trades and attempting to sign free agents.
That should change now. Ujiri and Schmitz take great pride in scouting and want to build teams through the draft. Since 2026 is the last year the Mavericks control their first-round pick until 2031, it will become imperative that they hit on late first-round picks.
History shows that the Mavericks should have a front office worthy of drafting well. No one is ever perfect at drafting, but Ujiri’s history is impressive.
Masai Ujiri’s Draft History
Things started to fade late in Masai Ujiri’s tenure with the Toronto Raptors, but he has an impressive draft history, especially with finding good talent late in the first round and into the second round. He’s also been able to snag a player like Fred VanVleet in the undrafted waters.
Here is a look at Masai Ujiri’s draft history since he became the lead executive for the Denver Nuggets in August of 2010, with a little recap for each year.
2011
First Round, 22nd Overall – Kenneth Faried, Forward
First Round, 26th Overall (via Mavericks) – Jordan Hamilton, Guard
Second Round, 56th Overall – Chukwudiebere Maduabum, Forward
Getting a player like Kenneth Faried in the 20s was a big win. Faried was a good rotational player and even finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2012. Throughout his first five seasons with the Nuggets, Faried averaged 12.3 PPG and 8.4 RPG.
Jordan Hamilton was acquired in a trade that sent out Raymond Felton and brought back Andre Miller, which helped the Nuggets be a playoff contender the next two seasons.
Chukwudiebere Maduabum never appeared in the NBA, which is common for late second-round picks.
Dec 28, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) reacts after a play in the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
2012
First Round, 20th Overall – Evan Fournier, Guard
Second Round, 38th Overall – Quincy Miller, Forward
Second Round, 50th Overall – İzzet Türkyılmaz, Forward
Evan Fournier was another good find in the 20s, as he had a 12-year career, peaking as an 18.5 PPG scorer in 2019-20 with the Orlando Magic. He didn’t contribute much for the Nuggets, but had a good NBA career.
Quincy Miller was taken one spot ahead of Khris Middleton, which hurts in hindsight. He played just 69 games in the NBA. İzzet Türkyılmaz never appeared in the NBA.
2013
Masai Ujiri took over the Toronto Raptors in 2013, but they didn’t make any draft picks that year. It was seen as a historically weak draft class in the lottery. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dennis Schroder, and Rudy Gobert were taken outside of the lottery.
2014
First Round, 20th Overall – Bruno Caboclo, Forward
Second Round, 37th Overall – DeAndre Daniels, Forward
Second Round, 59th Overall – Xavier Thames, Guard
This was a big swing and a miss for Masai Ujiri’s first draft class with the Raptors. Caboclo is still two years away from being two years away, while Daniels and Thames never played in the NBA.
Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Kyle Anderson were some players taken at the end of the first round. Nikola Jokic went four picks after Daniels.
2015
First Round, 20th Overall – Delon Wright, Guard
Second Round, 46th Overall – Normal Powell, Guard
The end of the first round was again a mess in the 2015 NBA Draft. Delon Wright was reasonably as they could have done there.
However, Ujiri pulled off a wild move in the second round, trading Greivis Vasquez to the Milwaukee Bucks for the 46th overall pick, which they used on Norman Powell, and a future first-round pick. We’ll talk about that later. Powell was an integral piece of their 2019 championship and was an All-Star this year for the Miami Heat.
Dec 18, 2019; Detroit, MI, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images | Tim Fuller-Imagn Images
2016
First Round, 9th Overall – Jakob Poeltl, Center
First Round, 27th Overall – Pascal Siakam, Forward
The Raptors ended up with the 9th overall pick as part of the Andrea Bargnani trade with the New York Knicks in 2013, and they used that to select a starting center, who would be used in the Kawhi Leonard trade.
Pascal Siakam developed into a starter for that championship team and has now been a four-time All-Star. That’s another big win for Ujiri here.
Fred VanVleet was added as an undrafted free agent this offseason, too.
2017
First Round, 23rd Overall – OG Anunoby, Forward
Here’s the second part of the Greivis Vasquez trade, and it’s another big win. Anunoby is one of the best two-way players in the NBA today and was also a starter on that championship team.
Mar 17, 2019; Detroit, MI, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) talks with forward OG Anunoby (3) as they walk to the bench during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-Imagn Images | Raj Mehta-Imagn Images
2018
The Raptors didn’t have any picks in 2018 after salary-dumping DeMarre Carroll to the Brooklyn Nets in 2017. However, they did pull off the Kawhi Leonard trade this offseason, sending out DeMar DeRozan as the biggest piece. That trade instantly paid off.
2019
Second Round, 59th Overall – Dewan Hernandez, Forward
The first-round pick was used in the Kawhi Leonard trade, so they didn’t have much capital to work with. The 59th overall pick rarely turns into anything, even if Lu Dort, Caleb Martin, Naz Reid, and Dean Wade were notable undrafted free agents from this class.
2020
First Round, 29th Overall – Malachi Flynn, Guard
Second Round, 59th Overall – Jalen Harris, Guard
The 2020 draft wasn’t a great one for Masai Ujiri. While Malachi Flynn has a 50-point game, it’s one of the most random ones in NBA history. When you consider his selection is sandwiched by Jaden McDaniels at 28 and Desmond Bane at 30, it’s hard to be okay with that.
Jalen Harris played just 13 games in the NBA.
Apr 23, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Scottie Barnes (4) reacts after a play against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
2021
First Round, 4th Overall – Scottie Barnes, Forward
Second Round, 46th Overall – Dalano Banton, Guard
Second Round, 47th Overall – David Johnson, Guard
People questioned Ujiri’s selection of Scottie Barnes over Jalen Suggs, but it has absolutely been the better decision. Barnes has already been a two-time All-Star, won Rookie of the Year, and is one of the bright young faces of the league.
Banton has been okay, while people thought Johnson would be a steal, but he’s only played 2 games in the NBA. The only notable players selected after them were Sandro Mamukelashvili and Aaron Wiggins.
2022
Second Round, 33rd Overall – Christian Koloko, Forward
It’s hard to bash too much on a second-round pick, but there was a lot of talent on the board this year. Koloko was not one of them. Jaylin Williams, Max Christie, Moussa Diabate, Ryan Rollins, and Josh Minott all came off the board in the next 12 picks.
2023
First Round, 13th Overall – Gradey Dick, Guard
While it’s too hard to call Gradey Dick a bust, it’s certainly looking like it. The Raptors needed shooting, so they selected him, and he has not worked out at all. Keyonte George and Jaime Jaquez Jr. came off the board a few picks later, but the rest of that first round is rough.
2024
First Round, 19th Overall – Ja’Kobe Walter, Guard
Second Round, 31st Overall – Jonathan Mogbo, Forward
Second Round, 45th Overall – Jamal Shead, Guard
Walter and Shead have been quality depth pieces already. Mogbo was okay as a rookie but didn’t play much this season.
2025
First Round, 9th Overall – Collin Murray-Boyles, Forward
Second Round, 39th Overall – Alijah Martin, Guard
It’s hard to know how much say Masai Ujiri had in selecting Murray-Boyles, as he and the Raptors went separate ways shortly after the draft, but his versatility was vital for the Raptors, even as a rookie.
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