2026 NBA draft thread

[dirkfansince1998]

"Why exactly do those vets need to be good next season? I think that is what plenty of us are complaining about. It's not one year with a botched tank job. It's the refusal to actually rebuild with a longterm plan. They don't need to be good next season."

I don't agree with this thesis. The Mavs have no upside to stretching out the misery. They won't get any draft benefits (for being a bad team) until 2031, so they need to go ahead and win. That also helps Flagg grow as a player -- the sooner you get him into playoff games, the faster he learns what THAT level of play is all about.

This team has a lot of talent. And a superstar in the works. If they hit in the draft (admittedly much iffier than it has to be, but they should have a good chance this summer at a solid starter or better), and find a good player in free agency with MLE, they could be competitive fairly quickly. It doesn't necessarily take years.

Not that I agree with it, but for the sake of discussion, I would also say that if they were to see things like you and plan to make this a slow arduous process, where they are trading their good players and blowing off a few seasons, they certainly want them to have been showcased in as positive a manner as possible in 2025-26. Gutting their value just before they trade them would not be wise. They certainly need more/better talent, and if they are trading away talent, they need talent in return.

But I'm expecting them in 26-27 to shoot at doing what PHX and POR did this season, neither of whom looked all that impressive in Oct, yet they each cobbled together a few good players and landed a playoff spot out of nowhere. I think if the Mavs can be healthy, they should be at least at that level. Flagg is a difference maker, and he will be even better next season. Put some talent around him, to open the floor and help him carry the load, and they have a good chance imo to take a leap.

If that's how you view it I don't get why you actually want the Mavs to go after Presti. Because what I am proposing is more or less what he did in OKC. Starting with a fire sale (George and Westbrook still in their primes). Followed by multiple years of absorbing bad contracts in exchange for picks. Recovering the value of vets. Selling them for more picks. Playing young lineups and making multiple first round picks in most years. Starting in 2019. And still doing it when the Thunder were already a really good team in 2024. Loss against the Mavs basically resulted in him entering win now mode (Giddey-Caruso trade).

Your proposal screams treadmill to me. I absolutely don't want to end up like PHX or POR. Think those teams are already close to their ceiling and they started from a more advantageous position than the current Mavs as far as young talent and future picks go.
Mavs already rushed the rebuild around Luka with a premature trade for KP. No need to make the same mistakes over and over again.

Would much rather watch a young and promising team that might not be able to reach the playoffs next season than the same collection of mediocre vets even if the vets might win a few extra games.

But I guess the main difference as far as our evaluation goes is that I really don't see a team with lots of talent when I look at the Mavs. Don't think nailing one draft pick this summer is enough to get back on track.