Masai Ujiri, Danny Ainge Not Being Pursued By Mavericks

[RealGM Wiretap]

The Dallas Mavericks are not pursuing Masai Ujiri or Danny Ainge for their head of basketball operations position. Both Ujiri and Ainge would surely want more autonomy than what executives with the franchise have been afforded while working for Mark Cuban. Cuban will continue to have final say on roster decisions.

Ujiri does not currently have a contract with the Toronto Raptors for the 21-22 season. Ainge stepped down from his role running the Boston Celtics this offseason. 

The Mavericks have hired a search firm to help the franchise with the hiring process, which will result in at least one external executive being added to the front office no matter what.

Dallas is considering elevating Michael Finley for the role.

Via Marc Stein/New York Times

[shza]

I totally get Ujiri, but is there actually a narrative somewhere that Ainge is anything other than a below-average, Celtics-nepotism-only, GM?? I’m surprised at the suggestion there would be any market for him, let alone a side-pot premium market.

[GOATTatum]

Cuban should just go ahead and name himself the head of basketball operations / GM / team owner. Danny was actually a good President of Basketball operations, his mistake was holding on to all those assets and not using them to trade for a star. I doubt Danny would even want the Mavs job.

[Winsome Gerbil]

Well of course not. Who needs Masai when you have random sleazy gambler dude?

[pagal]

insulting to even have Masai's name mentioned with trash like Ainge.

[MartinToVaught]

More like neither of them want anything to do with Mark "Jerry Jones 2.0" Cuban's out-of-control ego and all the dysfunction that he's created. They know he'll meddle and overrule them whenever some guy on Bill Simmons' podcast disagrees with them.

It says a lot when not even Luka's presence on the roster is enough to make the biggest name executives on the market touch that job with a ten-foot pole.

[MartinToVaught]

I totally get Ujiri, but is there actually a narrative somewhere that Ainge is anything other than a below-average, Celtics-nepotism-only, GM?? I’m surprised at the suggestion there would be any market for him, let alone a side-pot premium market.

Ainge was way better as a coach than a GM, honestly. I'm surprised that nobody's trying to see if he's willing to coach again.