New Mavericks president Masai Ujiri made that clear during his introductory press conference Tuesday, where much of the conversation centered around the franchise’s future and top overall pick Cooper Flagg following one of the most chaotic stretches in team history.
“Listen, I hope to bring calm,” Ujiri said in his opening remarks.
Dallas has endured a turbulent 15-month run that included the controversial Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers, the firing of former general manager Nico Harrison, multiple roster shakeups and back-to-back seasons without a playoff appearance.
But after landing Flagg despite only a 1.8 percent chance at the No. 1 pick, Ujiri made it clear the focus now needs to shift toward building the future around the former Duke starin what might possibly be the hardest quote from an NBA president ever:
“In Africa, we say when kings go, kings come. And a king went and we have a little prince here. Now we’re going to turn him into a king,” Ujiri said. “I think we have to start thinking that way. Understand what we’ve gone through. But I hope we can figure out how we reset as an organization with the fans. There’s no other way to do this than winning.”
Ujiri’s hiring has the feeling of the “final step” in moving on from the Doncic era, even if Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont prefers to frame it differently, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
“In my mind, it’s thinking about the future,” Dumont said. “I really appreciate his perspective. It’s one that I agree with, and I’m looking for Masai now to help lead us to a championship and also lead us to create a great team with great character, with the right focus.”
Ujiri also sounded optimistic about the idea of pairing Flagg alongside Kyrie Irving once the veteran guard returns from the torn ACL that sidelined him for the entire season.
“I dream like you dream, man. All of us dream. I want to see that,” Ujiri said. “I think it’s going to be pretty cool, and I know it’s going to help Cooper because Kyrie likes to play off the ball, too. This is going to interesting for us.”
READ MORE: JJ Redick Sounds Off on Thunder’s ‘No Foul’ Defense