Mike Schmitz Nba: Mavericks Hire New GM Under Masai Ujiri
mike schmitz nba landed in Dallas as the Mavericks hired him as general manager under new president Masai Ujiri. Schmitz leaves the Portland Trail Blazers after working in player evaluation, scouting, roster strategy and organizational planning, and he now takes over day-to-day management and strategic alignment of the Mavericks’ basketball operations department.
Masai Ujiri Builds Dallas
The Mavericks said Schmitz will report to Ujiri, who framed the hire as part of a larger push to shape the franchise’s structure from the top down. "Mike is one of the most respected evaluators and basketball minds in the NBA," Ujiri said in a statement announcing the move.
Ujiri also said Schmitz "brings intelligence, discipline, humility and a relentless work ethic to everything he does." He added that Schmitz "understands how to build an aligned, collaborative culture across every part of a basketball organization" and said, "We are building something special in Dallas, and Mike will be a major part of that vision."
Schmitz’s Portland Run
The hire ends Schmitz’s run in Portland, where the Trail Blazers brought him in in 2022 to work under general manager Joe Cronin. During that stretch, the Blazers drafted Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen, putting Schmitz in the middle of the team’s talent pipeline.
That background fits the job Dallas just handed him. Before Portland, he spent five years at beginning in 2017 as one of the network’s top draft analysts, and before that he did scouting work for DraftExpress. His front-office path started long before the Mavericks came calling.
From G League to Dallas
Schmitz’s résumé also reaches back to the G League, where he was a video coordinator for the Bakersfield Jam in 2012/13. He has also served as an assistant coach for the Ugandan national team since 2018, giving Dallas a hire with experience across scouting, analysis and coaching.
There is one complication attached to the move: Schmitz and fellow assistant GM Sergi Oliva were suspended for two weeks without pay last month after the NBA determined the Blazers had illegally contacted Yang in 2023. Dallas still chose him for a role that puts him directly in charge of the Mavericks’ basketball operations day to day, and the next test is how quickly he and Ujiri turn that structure into decisions on the roster and the front office chain of command.
The Mavericks’ move is a clear shift in authority. Schmitz is now the executive responsible for the daily machinery around the roster, while Ujiri sits above him, and Dallas is betting that a longtime evaluator with Portland, and G League experience can help stabilize the operation immediately.
