The 2024-25 NBA season was overshadowed by the blockbuster midseason trade that sent star Luka Doni from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team swap. The deal caused Mavericks fans to stage various protests outside of American Airlines Center, calling for the firing of former GM Nico Harrison before he was finally shown the door in November 2025. Dallas began a search for a replacement and, on May 4, agreed to terms with former Toronto Raptors GM Masai Ujiri to become the franchises new team president and alternate governor. Ujiri is tasked with continuing Dallas turnaround following a 26-56 season. Fans are still not over the Doni decision, and it was clear that anyone hired for the role would have to answer for the faults of his predecessor. During his introductory press conference, Ujiri was asked whether he would have made the deal that sent Doni away. Rather than simply saying no, he gave a well-thought-out answer to help fans see the past as the past and focus the future. Masai Ujiri was asked if he would have traded Luka Doncic.His answer: pic.twitter.com/lMa6y3yNaO Noah Weber (@noahweber00) May 5, 2026We have to respect everybody and everything that happened here, he said. He [Doni] is a Hall of Fame player. He is gone. He will always be a Maverick. We have to move, we really have to move on. It is not for me to start criticizing what anybody else is doing. It is for me to criticize what I am doing, and worry about what Im going to do. If I continue harping and harping on that, and I think all of you are going to be asking what I am doing. I have to look to the future because winning is what we have to do here and winning is a responsibility of mine.Ujiri is credited with being the mastermind behind the Raptors impromptu championship run in 2019. The irony of the hire in Dallas is that at the time, Ujiri received some heat for trading away the former face of the franchise, DeMar DeRozan, in exchange for Kawhi Leonard. The trade would prove pivotal for Toronto in its championship efforts. Now, Ujiri takes over a franchise infused with young talent like 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. From this response, its clear that his focus is on the franchises future, not the past.