2026 NBA draft thread

[F Gump]

....would they want pieces like Gafford or even Kyrie?

I don't think Kyrie is available.

[Chicagojk]

I think we get measurables today.  I think it is now mandatory for all prospects to get measured.   Last year the big one was Jace Richardson only being a little over 6 feet.

[Winter]

De Larrea intrigues me at 30, because it's hard to find the player who is a "tall playmaking guard" available outside the lottery. The fact he won't be at the combine and may be not as available for workouts as most players may be a blessing in disguise.

De Larrea is interesting. You have to think that Schmitz and Masai have a leg up with all the international scouting in their respective backgrounds. They will know more than most. 

He looks every bit of 6'5" if not more. A few sites have him at 6'7"

[dirkfansince1998]

Interesting. If he's correct, and Brown is more of an off-ball guard than on-ball, my interest in him diminishes, somewhat. 

I need to take a deep dive on Buries, soon...his size concerns me, on paper, especially as an off-ball guard. I don't have a huge objection to taking or playing a guy that size, but I'm not sure this draft opportunity (the best one for a while) is the time to invest in one. I think I'd prefer Ament or Laxenbourg (probably not spelled that way at all, sorry) over Buries right now, but I need to take a deep dive, like I said. 

Is Philion not even on his list? Did I just miss him?

I was out on Brown because of his back issues. If he is fully cleared he would be my 3rd/4th among the available guards (behind Wagler and Burries. not sure about Flemings).

Burries size isn't an issue for me because he has an NBA ready frame. Strong with a low center of gravity and most likely (we are about to find out) a plus wingspan.

Ament is just super raw. Based on Ujiri's track record he is the perfect Mavs pick but I am not the biggest fan. He can draw fouls but that is the only thing he is doing on an above average level at the moment. Not a good shooter. One of the worst finishers in college basketball. Mediocre ast/tov-ratio. Mediocre defender. And i get it. Just like in Quaintance's case the combination of size and athleticism is enough to justify a gamble. But I don't want the Mavs to gamble. Would prefer a safer pick. Even if the ceiling isn't as high.

Philon improved a lot but not in the way that I (and apparently others like Hollinger) value. Better shooter. Better finisher. Not a better decision maker. Still having the same "RC doghouse moments" that he had in his freshman season. He is the one that reminds me of DSJ.

[F Gump]

I think we get measurables today.  I think it is now mandatory for all prospects to get measured.   Last year the big one was Jace Richardson only being a little over 6 feet.

* Yep, I was just about to post about the Combine. The scrimmages are later in the week. 

But the measuring and testing has already begun, and we should start seeing some data soon. The results will make a difference in some cases, and in any event we won't have to keep guessing or making (unreliable) assumptions -- and maybe with some players we will discover our concerns have been unfounded.

* One interesting note I saw - both WAS and UT are reportedly open to trading down! I suspect it's out of Mavs reach, but it's a tantalizing thought.

* ESPN and Athletic have identical mock draft top 10

1. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa, SF, BYU
2. Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson, PG/SG, Kansas
3. Memphis Grizzlies: Cameron Boozer, PF/C, Duke
4. Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson, PF/C, North Carolina
5. LA Clippers: Keaton Wagler, PG/SG, Illinois
6. Brooklyn Nets: Darius Acuff Jr., PG, Arkansas
7. Sacramento Kings: Kingston Flemings, PG, Houston
8. Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans): Mikel Brown Jr., PG, Louisville
9. Dallas Mavericks: Brayden Burries, SG, Arizona
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Nate Ament, SF/PF, Tennessee

[mvossman]

Interesting. If he's correct, and Brown is more of an off-ball guard than on-ball, my interest in him diminishes, somewhat. 

I need to take a deep dive on Buries, soon...his size concerns me, on paper, especially as an off-ball guard. I don't have a huge objection to taking or playing a guy that size, but I'm not sure this draft opportunity (the best one for a while) is the time to invest in one. I think I'd prefer Ament or Laxenbourg (probably not spelled that way at all, sorry) over Buries right now, but I need to take a deep dive, like I said. 

Is Philion not even on his list? Did I just miss him?

I have not read anybody else talking about Brown as an off ball player.  He could play that role given his 3 point shot projection, but he profiles to play the point.  He has both great vision and high turnover rate so good and bad.  I think he is the biggest swing player of the 5 guards.

Philon is not on his list.  He doesn't tend to get grouped with those 5 guards.

[Chicagojk]

Ringer mock

Wagler to Mavs

https://www.theringer.com/nba-draft/2026...ft#content

[RasheedsBigWhiteSpot]

I would be willing to look at this scenario if we can also swap seconds to get our pick back. So 9+30+48 for 12+17+37. Dallas probably has to throw in a future 2nd OR Dallas has to take some salary and does not include 30.
If we pulled off this type of deal giving us  12; 17; 30; & 37 how much salary is that worth? Say the trade for the 12 pick is 9 & 37 + future considerations; how much salary would we have to absorb to have 17 for 48 come our way as well.
I would feel better about this type of dealing with Lindsey as GM working with Masai as I felt the trades were better under Lindsey's influence. But maybe this is Don Nelson all over again and the first big night for the new GM sets the franchise up for years!

I don't think that requires any additional picks or salary. There's a drop off between 9 and 12 and 30 and 37.
At 9, Brown or Burries is better than what's left at 12. And there's a drop around #32/33. At #30 you still have a shot at Okorie and a number of wings. If I'm dealing with OKC, it's 9+30 for 12+17+37. But I'm not sure I do that.

[mvossman]

* Yep, I was just about to post about the Combine. The scrimmages are later in the week. 

But the measuring and testing has already begun, and we should start seeing some data soon. The results will make a difference in some cases, and in any event we won't have to keep guessing or making (unreliable) assumptions -- and maybe with some players we will discover our concerns have been unfounded.

* One interesting note I saw - both WAS and UT are reportedly open to trading down! I suspect it's out of Mavs reach, but it's a tantalizing thought.

* ESPN and Athletic have identical mock draft top 10

1. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa, SF, BYU
2. Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson, PG/SG, Kansas
3. Memphis Grizzlies: Cameron Boozer, PF/C, Duke
4. Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson, PF/C, North Carolina
5. LA Clippers: Keaton Wagler, PG/SG, Illinois
6. Brooklyn Nets: Darius Acuff Jr., PG, Arkansas
7. Sacramento Kings: Kingston Flemings, PG, Houston
8. Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans): Mikel Brown Jr., PG, Louisville
9. Dallas Mavericks: Brayden Burries, SG, Arizona
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Nate Ament, SF/PF, Tennessee

I have looked at a ton of mocks and they almost all look like this.  The only difference is that some of them have Flemings going to Nets and Acuff to Kings.

EDIT: Actually the Ringer just came out and has Wagler falling to Mavs (Clippers went with Burries).

[dirkfansince1998]

Scrimmage rosters. A few of them will probably be late scratches. Hopkins, Yaacov, Kaufmann-Renn, Cofie and Castro promoted from the g-league combine.

https://x.com/NBADraftWass/status/2053814861532971225

[KillerLeft]

Philon is not on his list.  He doesn't tend to get grouped with those 5 guards.

Sure, but as much as he's talked about here, I was surprised not to see him anywhere in the top 15 (the list might have been longer than 15, even - can't remember).

[mvossman]

I don't think Kyrie is available.

I think the odds of Kyrie being available went up significantly with the hiring of Masai.  I get all of the positives regarding Kyrie, but for a rebuilding team that will take multiple years to get there, it makes a lot of sense to trade away a mid 30s player for the maximum value you can get.

[mvossman]

Sure, but as much as he's talked about here, I was surprised not to see him anywhere in the top 15 (the list might have been longer than 15, even - can't remember).

It was 15.  But he was kind of doing it in bunches, and after 5 combo/point guards he had other tiers to fill.  Most boards I see have him in the 10 to 15 range.  He takes a big hit due to being a sophomore and his small size.

[Dirknows]

I think the odds of Kyrie being available went up significantly with the hiring of Masai.  I get all of the positives regarding Kyrie, but for a rebuilding team that will take multiple years to get there, it makes a lot of sense to trade away a mid 30s player for the maximum value you can get.

We need Kyrie’s ability to get a bucket more than what he will probably return in a trade. Literally no one besides Cooper can get their own shot on this current roster.

[F Gump]

I think the odds of Kyrie being available went up significantly with the hiring of Masai.  

I think exactly the opposite. From what I hear, Masai sees Kyrie as incredibly valuable, and plans to pair him with CF as the core engine of the team. They will be looking to build around those two. 

If I'm right, in some ways it changes the way they chase roster building (draft, MLE, other FA's, trades). Rather than needing players who they hope to be The Guy, they will be looking for ones who can be the worker bees around those 2.

I actually think we could see the biggest change come at the other end (size-wise) of the roster. Their C position is a mess, as it takes them 5-6 players to get through a season. That's not a practical distribution of roster slots.

[mvossman]

We need Kyrie’s ability to get a bucket more than what he will probably return in a trade. Literally no one besides Cooper can get their own shot on this current roster.

There is no question Kyrie would be hugely valuable to the current team.  Not sure the priority of a rebuilding team should be current wins.  Accumulating assets is a route that looks particularly appealing now that we actually have guys running the show that know how to convert those assets into winning.

[Scott41theMavs]

I think exactly the opposite. From what I hear, Masai sees Kyrie as incredibly valuable, and plans to pair him with CF as the core engine of the team. They will be looking to build around those two. 

If I'm right, in some ways it changes the way they chase roster building (draft, MLE, other FA's, trades). Rather than needing players who they hope to be The Guy, they will be looking for ones who can be the worker bees around those 2.

I actually think we could see the biggest change come at the other end (size-wise) of the roster. Their C position is a mess, as it takes them 5-6 players to get through a season. That's not a practical distribution of roster slots.

The only danger with this is that 1) Robins are hard to come by, and 2) what do the Mavs do when Kyrie ages out of all effectiveness?

At the very least, he *must* be traded by the summer of '28 for the Mavs' talent quotient to remain high enough to get a Robin in trade.

[F Gump]

It was 15.  But he was kind of doing it in bunches, and after 5 combo/point guards he had other tiers to fill.  Most boards I see have him in the 10 to 15 range.  He takes a big hit due to being a sophomore and his small size.

With Philon (and others too), I really don't want any small's. I'm prioritizing full sized players, since we get to draft near the top. 6-3, or close to it, for a PG. Obviously almost all these players are listed bigger than that, but there's lots of questions marks. So imo the combine size measurements should matter a lot.

[KillerLeft]

There is no question Kyrie would be hugely valuable to the current team.  Not sure the priority of a rebuilding team should be current wins.  Accumulating assets is a route that looks particularly appealing now that we actually have guys running the show that know how to convert those assets into winning.

It's the same conversation we've had nonstop since the Luka trade. 

Apparently, there are still folks who think the Mavs can compete for a championship this year or the following season. I don't see it, personally. I'm expecting a fairly comprehensive turning over of the roster over the next 2-3 seasons, hopefully with the aim of getting younger and building around Flagg. 

Sure, Kyrie might fit on the roster well this season, and honestly, he might even help bridge the culture gap and keep this from turning into a perpetually young-minded band of out-of-control losers, which is what tanking teams become fairly often. So, I wouldn't say I think trading him this summer is likely or a must or anything, but...I have ZERO faith that the Mavs will be a contender again during his career. Not little faith - ZERO. For that reason, I'd hope they'd at least LISTEN if teams call about him.

[mvossman]

With Philon (and others too), I really don't want any small's. I'm prioritizing full sized players, since we get to draft near the top. 6-3, or close to it, for a PG. Obviously almost all these players are listed bigger than that, but there's lots of questions marks. So imo the combine size measurements should matter a lot.

I agree, but I think height is just one factor.  I think wingspan and bulk (weight) are important too.  Big difference between a 6' 3" guy who weight 210 lbs and one built like Trae Young.