The Dallas Mavericks will play the final game of the regular season on Sunday night against the Chicago Bulls, but they've been eliminated from postseason contention for weeks now. This has not been the season they imagined, but they know a big offseason is coming. Their first priority is finding the new general manager.
Nico Harrison was fired in November, about 9 and a half months too late, and they've been operating under a unique setup since then with co-interim GMs Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley. They were able to pull off the Anthony Davis trade and get his (as well as Jaden Hardy and D'Angelo Russell) bloated salary off the books. However, team governor Patrick Dumont has his sights set on the new GM.
Rumors have swirled that he's interested in Sam Preti, Koby Altman, Tim Connelly, and Brad Stevens to take over. Those are four of the best GMs in the NBA right now, so prying them away may be difficult. He addressed those rumors, gave information on what he's looking for, and updated the timeline for the search with Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
“Monday morning, we're going to get active, and we're going to talk to a lot of people. And we're going to do our best to make sure that we find the best possible candidate to lead our basketball organization," Dumont started. "Our goal is to have someone on board by the middle of May.
”Mar 23, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont during the first half against the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images“... They're going to set the tone for everything that we do from a basketball perspective.
We're looking for someone who can set the direction of our basketball team, put the right pieces in place to achieve our goals, and set the right culture. It's got to be a culture that will lead us to win championships and someone that can build that culture. The other thing is, communication is key.
Having the ability to communicate effectively across the organization, communicate with our fans, and lead this basketball organization is going to be crucial. ”Dumont dismissed the rumors of candidates he's interested in to avoid tampering. "...
I have to tell you, I can't talk to any of those people now because it would be tampering. That's against league rules. And I will never do that.
"Who Are Some Possible Candidates For General Manager/President of Basketball Operations? The Mavericks should have a lot of people interested in this job, even if it could still be seen as a hostile situation after last year's Luka Doncic disaster. Whoever gets the job will have someone above them who doesn't know basketball, and should give them some freedom as long as they're able to communicate.
One realistic name is Dennis Lindsey, who was an advisor for the Mavs during the 2023-24 season when they traded for Daniel Gafford and P. J. Washington before going to the NBA Finals.
He has been with the Detroit Pistons since, and they're the top seed in the Eastern Conference now. Another possibility is making Riccardi or Finley a full-time GM. They've managed this situation as well as they possibly could have, and they deserve a real chance to run this team.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated believes that Jason Kidd could be a possibility, but the Mavericks would prefer he stay as the coach for now. Bob Myers and Masai Ujiri, two former lead executives who won championships with the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors, have also been named as possibilities.