Masai Ujiri hadn't even fielded his first question as the new team president and alternate governor of the Dallas Mavericks when he acknowledged the storm the franchise has weathered over the past 15 months.

"Listen, I hope to bring calm," Ujiri said Tuesday during his introductory press conference, moments after comforting his 5-year-old son Amani, who had wandered onto the stage seeking his father's embrace.

There was no need to mention the seismic Luka Doncic trade that cost his predecessor, former general manager Nico Harrison, his job. Or the incredible lottery luck that landed Dallas the No. 1 overall pick with just a 1.8% chance — delivering Cooper Flagg. Or Flagg's rocky rookie season that ended with 56 losses but also a Rookie of the Year award.

"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," said Ujiri, who was raised in Nigeria. "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."

The Mavericks were barely nine months removed from their 2024 NBA Finals loss to Boston when Harrison traded the franchise cornerstone Doncic to the Lakers for the older, injury-prone Anthony Davis. Just nine months after that — as the 2025-26 season stumbled out of the gate — Harrison was fired. His interim replacements, co-general managers Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley, then shipped Davis to Washington before the trade deadline. Injuries limited Davis to just 29 games across parts of two seasons in Dallas.

Now, with Ujiri at the helm — fresh from 13 seasons running basketball operations in Toronto, including a championship run before his firing last year — the Mavericks appear ready to turn the page. Governor Patrick Dumo has made it clear: the focus is on building around Flagg, the 19-year-old phenom who represents hope after the heartbreak.