The Dallas Mavericks are nearing a decision on one of the most important hires in franchise history, and team leadership wants it done before late June.
Mavericks CEO Rick Welts said Thursday at Mavs Ball that the organization hopes to have a permanent general manager in place ahead of the NBA Draft, though he stopped short of committing to a hard deadline.
“We want to make the right decision,” Welts said. “We’re pretty excited about potential candidates. I think ideally we want to have somebody in place ahead of the draft.”
The search began in November when Governor Patrick Dumont removed Nico Harrison from the general manager role following growing fan frustration and a difficult start to the season.
Dumont moved quickly to stabilize the front office, promoting assistant general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi to co-interim general managers the same morning. Four months later, both remain in place — and both are candidates for the full-time job.
Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi Have Made Their Cases
Finley and Riccardi did not simply hold the fort. Together they navigated the trade deadline and executed a significant roster move, shipping Anthony Davis and several costly contracts to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III and AJ Johnson. The deal shed financial weight and gave the franchise a cleaner path to building around Cooper Flagg.
Finley, who spent years as a player in Dallas before transitioning to the front office, made his case plainly when asked Thursday why he believes he is ready for the role.
“I think I am Dallas,” Finley said. “I’m everything that Dallas is about. I played here through the good times and bad times and as a fan of the Mavericks, I know what it takes and I know what the fans are looking for. I would love to have the chance to lead this franchise into the future and to, ultimately, championship contenders.”
Riccardi took a more measured approach when asked about competing for the job alongside his co-interim partner.
“I think it’s easy for Fin and myself,” Riccardi said. “All we care about is what’s best for the organization. We put the organization first in everything that we do. Let the rest of it take care of itself.”
Those who have worked with Riccardi paint a picture of a front office operator who leads without friction. Multiple sources described an executive defined by selflessness and substance — qualities they see as a direct contrast to what preceded him.
“He has no ego,” one source told Dallas Hoops Journal. “That’s who you want running a front office. Just look at where ego got Nico Harrison.”
Riccardi has spent years accumulating experience across multiple basketball operations roles with the Brooklyn Nets and the Mavericks, and those around him see that breadth as a genuine differentiator.
“He’s done practically every basketball ops job between the Nets and Mavs,” another source said to Dallas Hoops Journal. “He has the skill set to be a GM.”
Beyond the operational resume, sources point to Riccardi’s relationship-building as one of his defining qualities — something that extends well beyond any single player.
“You can tell Matt really values relationships with the players,” one source shared with Dallas Hoops Journal. “You can see that not just with Kyrie Irving, but really anybody on the team.”
External Candidates Remain a Possibility for Dallas Mavericks
While Finley and Riccardi represent obvious internal options, the Mavericks have not closed the door on an external hire. Dumont could prioritize experience, specifically someone who has previously held a general manager title.
Harrison himself arrived from Nike with no prior front-office experience in basketball operations, a fact that drew criticism as the roster struggled.
Team president Ethan Casson, who joined the organization this season, emphasized that Dumont is approaching the hire deliberately rather than reactively.
“It’s a huge hire,” Casson said. “It’s a really important role when you think about developing culture, sustaining culture, how we manage the draft, how we manage the vision and direction of the team. It’s a lot to that position, but what I really like about our approach is we’re not rushing anything.”
The NBA Draft Looms Large
The stakes attached to this hire are significant. Dallas is headed toward the draft lottery at 23-47, and whoever takes the general manager role will make their first major decision almost immediately — selecting or trading a top lottery pick that figures to play alongside Flagg for years to come.
The NBA Draft typically falls in late June, giving the Mavericks roughly three months to finalize their choice. Welts, Casson and Dumont have signaled they intend to use that time wisely.
For a franchise that is resetting around one of the league’s most promising young players, getting this hire right matters as much as anything else happening on the court this spring.
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