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Fans cheer during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series between Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Center, Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Dallas. (Chitose Suzuki/Staff Photographer)
The Mavericks made a significant hire when they added Mike Schmitz to the front office as general manager while Dallas fully turns its focus to building around Cooper Flagg.
He's an intriguing hire for Dallas, given his strong reputation in NBA draft circles and vast experience around the basketball world.
Here are five things to know about Schmitz, such as his previous experiences and some draft takes of his that aged quite nicely, including his early evaluations of Luka Doncic.
1. Masai's first move
It didn't take long for Masai Ujiri, the Mavericks' new president of basketball operations, to find his guy. Not even five full days into being Dallas' president, Ujiri announced the hiring of Schmitz as the team's new general manager.
“Joining the Dallas Mavericks is an incredible opportunity,” Schmitz said in a prepared statement. “I have tremendous respect for Masai, this ownership group and the vision they have for the future of this franchise. I’m excited to get to work alongside the talented people already in place and help build a championship-caliber organization.”
“Mike is one of the most respected evaluators and basketball minds in the NBA,” Ujiri said in a prepared statement. “He brings intelligence, discipline, humility and a relentless work ethic to everything he does. Just as importantly, he understands how to build an aligned, collaborative culture across every part of a basketball organization. We are building something special in Dallas, and Mike will be a major part of that vision.”
2. Previous NBA experience
Schmitz sent four seasons as the assistant general manager for the Portland Trail Blazers. At 36 years old, Schmitz has built a strong reputation as an NBA evaluator with vast experience in domestic and international landscapes.
With his background being in talent evaluation, take a look at the Blazers' notable draft picks while Schmitz was in Portland.
| Year | Player | Pick |
| 2022 | Shaedon Sharpe | No. 7 |
| 2023 | Scoot Henderson | No. 3 |
| 2023 | Kris Murray | No. 23 |
| 2023 | Rayan Rupert | No. 43 |
| 2024 | Donovan Clingan | No. 7 |
| 2025 | Yang Hansen | No. 16 |
3. Used to work in media
His assistant GM gig with Portland was his first job in the league. Prior to that, he spent five years as a draft analyst with ESPN and also began working at DraftExpress as a scout in 2012. DraftExpress is a comprehensive scouting service that professional, international and collegiate teams use as a resource.
He has also previously covered the Phoenix Suns as a writer and video analyst.
Jonathan Givony, the founder of DraftExpress, weighed in on Schmitz's hire: "From a cold email to GM of the Dallas Mavericks. What a rise! Mike earned this through relentless work and an incredible basketball mind. And he's an even better friend than he is a talent evaluator. Couldn't be prouder of you, brother."
4. A suspension and a fine
Schmitz has a suspension on his record during his short time in the league.
Earlier this year, Schmitz and another front office member were suspended for two weeks and the Blazers were fined $100,000 for a draft violation. The violation, which was self-reported by the team, was due to Schmitz and Segi Oliva having illegal contact with Chinese big man Yang Hansen two years before he was selected with the No. 16 pick in the 2025 draft.
Schmitz and Oliva went to China to scout Hansen in 2023, but teams are not allowed to contact prospects before they make their early declaration for the draft.
5. He was an early investor in Luka Doncic, others
Mavs fans may want to read Schmitz's feature story on ESPN profiling former Dallas superstar and then-NBA prospect Luka Doncic all the way back in Oct. 2017.
"He's handled the pressure-cooker that comes along with being a childhood prodigy with tremendous poise to this point, producing at an extremely high level against NBA-caliber talent," Schmitz wrote. "Very few 'boy wonder' types live up to the usually-lofty expectations. Many fizzle out, peaking too early or falling victim to the hype. As has been the case since those early days with Union Olimpija, Doncic seems to be an exception."
He was also one of the early investors in Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama. On Brian Windorst's podcast all the way back in 2020, Schmitz raved about Wembanyama, who was 16 years old at the time.
“There’s a kid in Europe right now," he said. "Victor Wembanyama, who’s maybe the best prospect in the world. He’s 7-3 with almost an eight-foot wingspan. He blocks shots like Rudy Gobert and he shoots like [Kristaps] Porzingis. He can handle and pass. I’ve never seen anything like him.”
You can read Schmitz's story on Wembanyama from Feb. 2020, headlined "Victory Wembanyama is one of the best long-term NBA prospects in the world" here.
He's also got a receipt from the 2020 NBA draft that aged pretty nicely, too.
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