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The Dallas Mavericks reportedly are not looking toward two high-profile names as they search for their next general manager after parting ways with Donnie Nelson.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Dallas is “not pursuing” Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri or former Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge for the position.
Stein noted they would likely both “want more autonomy” than Mavericks governor Mark Cuban would be willing to give them.
Developments in Dallas have been among the biggest stories in the entire NBA even as the playoffs continue without the team.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported there was “internal friction due to the increasing decision-making influence of Mavericks director of quantitative research and development Haralabos Voulgaris” before Nelson left.
Nelson apparently did not like that Voulgaris reported directly to Cuban and spoke directly with head coach Rick Carlisle.
Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic also reported star player Luka Doncic didn’t have a great relationship with Voulgaris, although Cuban called the report “total bulls–t” on Twitter. During an appearance on The Jump, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears reported Doncic is “really upset” about Nelson’s departure.
With all of that as the backdrop, Carlisle resigned in a stunning move after coaching the Mavericks for 13 seasons and leading them to a championship during the 2010-11 campaign.
There will be plenty of pressure on whomever the Mavericks hire to fill Nelson’s shoes, especially since they haven’t made it past the first round of the playoffs since that championship season.
While Ujiri helped put together a championship-winning team in Toronto and Ainge did the same during his tenure with the Celtics, Dallas will apparently look elsewhere.
Stein previously reported Michael Finley, who has been the Mavericks’ vice president of basketball operations, is a candidate for the position. Finley played for Dallas from the 1996-97 season through 2004-05 and was a two-time All-Star.