2026 NBA draft thread

[Dirknows]

A quick review of five of the latest mock drafts....

Morez Johnson seems likely be picked between 12-14 (four out of five mocks)
Burries was never picked above #9, but three of five mocks had him going to Dallas at #9.
Nate Ament went at #6 one one mock but the rest had him at #10 or below.
Most drafts had all the PG's going above #9, but Flemings, Brown, and Wagler each strayed south to #9 or below in one of five drafts.
Aday Mara went above #9 in three of five mock drafts. That was a bit of a surprise.
Philon went at #10 or below on all of them.

Burries wouldn’t get me very excited. I feel like if all the point guards are gone by 9, Masai will go with Ament.

[dirkfansince1998]

https://x.com/JonChep/status/2064756073278427232

Valencia’s Sergio De Larrea’s anthro measurements from his abbreviated 2026 AWS NBA Draft Combine make-up activities (cm converted, rounded): 6’6" barefoot, 204 pounds with a 6’9" wingspan and 8’4 ¾" standing reach

Don't know enough about him to have a strong opinion but he is the biggest primary ballhandler in the draft class.

[Smitty]

@MavsFilmRoom
The Mavericks “have told rival teams they are very much open for trades in either direction with their No. 9 pick”, per Jake Fischer of @TheSteinLine

[Mavs2021]

Burries wouldn’t get me very excited. I feel like if all the point guards are gone by 9, Masai will go with Ament.

I get the same feeling depending on whether they believe Burries is a PG. If they believe that they will take him at #9, if they don´t, I also think Ament is the pick.

[RasheedsBigWhiteSpot]

@MavsFilmRoom
The Mavericks “have told rival teams they are very much open for trades in either direction with their No. 9 pick”, per Jake Fischer of @TheSteinLine

I just have this weird feeling that the Mavs are going to wind up with Cam Boozer. I'm not saying I am for or against this, but from hearing interviews with Masai and Schmitz, Boozer seems like their ideal, high IQ player. I'm not going to speculate here how they get up there.

[Smitty]

@HawksLead
Per @JakeLFischer | @TheSteinLine:

• Atlanta remains comfortable staying at No. 8 and making the selection.
• The front office is willing to entertain offers for the No. 23 pick and would prefer making only one first-round selection.



Gafford for #23 music...

[mvossman]

I just have this weird feeling that the Mavs are going to wind up with Cam Boozer. I'm not saying I am for or against this, but from hearing interviews with Masai and Schmitz, Boozer seems like their ideal, high IQ player. I'm not going to speculate here how they get up there.

I don't think they have the assets to make a move like that.  If you are looking at players in their range that fit their love of positional size with high IQ you are probably talking about Wagler.  You could maybe make an argument for Burries.

[mvossman]

@HawksLead
Per @JakeLFischer | @TheSteinLine:

• Atlanta remains comfortable staying at No. 8 and making the selection.
• The front office is willing to entertain offers for the No. 23 pick and would prefer making only one first-round selection.



Gafford for #23 music...

I prefer they find a way to do this without having to take on the Krispert contract.  Not a fan of the player.

[mvossman]

I get the same feeling depending on whether they believe Burries is a PG. If they believe that they will take him at #9, if they don´t, I also think Ament is the pick.

Greatly prefer they trade back to drafting Ament at 9.

[cow]

I just have this weird feeling that the Mavs are going to wind up with Cam Boozer. I'm not saying I am for or against this, but from hearing interviews with Masai and Schmitz, Boozer seems like their ideal, high IQ player. I'm not going to speculate here how they get up there.

Moving to 2-3 seems impossible short threading the needle and emptying out all your future assets/player equity...or trading Flagg (lol).

[Smitty]

I prefer they find a way to do this without having to take on the Krispert contract.  Not a fan of the player.

It's not terrible.

26-27 $13,975,000
27-28 $13,025,000
28-29 $13,025,000 (Team Option)

He's obviously not some gamechanger or anything. A 6'6" Wing off the bench that can shoot. Career 38% 3PT on 5.0 3PA/g. Per36 puts him at over 8 attempts per game. So, good volume per minutes played. Again, not saying he's some prize, but he'd be a usable rotation guy in the regular season. There are much worse contracts out there.

Next summer you'd have Martin+Kispert as $22M in expirings to use in a bigger trade...?

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Yea, I dont see any way the Mavs can move into the top 3 in this draft. I wouldn't be shocked if OKC moved up there.

[DallasMaverick]

@MavsFilmRoom
The Mavericks “have told rival teams they are very much open for trades in either direction with their No. 9 pick”, per Jake Fischer of @TheSteinLine

Masai would be a bad GM if he weren't open to trades. For any player, or for any pick.

Gotta at least listen.

[Winter]

I'm not sure it's too easy to be moving up, but considering the interest in Aday Mara, it may be entirely possible to move down and acquire a second asset.

[RasheedsBigWhiteSpot]

Moving to 2-3 seems impossible short threading the needle and emptying out all your future assets/player equity...or trading Flagg (lol).

Oh, I definitely think there's a way. But, yes, it would require unloading a lot (a trade gauntlet has been thrown, lol):

Trade 1
Mavs get #6, #8 Josh Green and Grant Williams 
Hornets get Gafford 
Nets get #18, #23 and Jabari Smith 
Hawks get #9 and Reed Sheppard 
Rockets get Kyrie 

Trade 2
Mavs get #3, #16 and #32
Grizzlies get #6, #8 and #23

Mavs draft:
#3 Cam Boozer 
#16 Ebuka Okorie 
#32 Isaiah Evans 

The Mavs would have subtracted Kyrie and Gafford .

The root trades are ones that have been discussed here before:

Mavs get Jabari Smith, Reed Sheppard and a future pick 
Rockets get Kyrie 

Mavs get #18
Hornets get Gafford 

The biggest obstacle would then be convincing the Nets that Jabari Smith + #18+#23 is better than whatever they'd pick at 6.

Also, it would be having the Grizzlies believe that a combo of (2 of) Brown, Wagler, Acuff, Burries Mara, Flemings, Ament, M. Johnson is better than Boozer.

Hell, the Mavs might decide they'd rather have two of them instead of one premium player. 

All I'm saying is I think it’s doable.

[Scott41theMavs]

Burries wouldn’t get me very excited. I feel like if all the point guards are gone by 9, Masai will go with Ament.

Ament at 9 - or, as someone said in the discord, throwing away precious assets to move up in the draft and take Ament there - is the nightmare scenario for me.

I can accept Ament as the pick if we trade down and have something else to show for it. And he'd better be a difference maker by year 3.

[mvossman]

It's not terrible.

26-27 $13,975,000
27-28 $13,025,000
28-29 $13,025,000 (Team Option)

He's obviously not some gamechanger or anything. A 6'6" Wing off the bench that can shoot. Career 38% 3PT on 5.0 3PA/g. Per36 puts him at over 8 attempts per game. So, good volume per minutes played. Again, not saying he's some prize, but he'd be a usable rotation guy in the regular season. There are much worse contracts out there.

Next summer you'd have Martin+Kispert as $22M in expirings to use in a bigger trade...?

His bench shooting is fine, but he is shitastically bad on defense.  There are worse contracts out there, but I would consider him a negative asset, and the second year stings compared to some of the other suggestions.

[Winter]

While the Fischer\Stein rumor about the Mavs looking to move in the draft may be nothing more than "let's talk", it may also mean they are looking for opportunities to move off certain players on the roster. I would be surprised if they can't make a deal somewhere. Our new FO team doesn't feel like a timid bunch.

[Chicagojk]

While the Fischer\Stein rumor about the Mavs looking to move in the draft may be nothing more than "let's talk", it may also mean they are looking for opportunities to move off certain players on the roster. I would be surprised if they can't make a deal somewhere. Our new FO team doesn't feel like a timid bunch.

Yeah, I would not look much into it.   Maybe it is true.  Although new leadership it would be a good idea to listen and propose different things, just to get some discussion started.   Even if I didn't want to move up or move down, I would be calling teams to judge what it would take.   It may not lead anywhere or it could lead to a discussion not expected on another player.

[cow]

Oh, I definitely think there's a way. But, yes, it would require unloading a lot (a trade gauntlet has been thrown, lol):

Trade 1
Mavs get #6, #8 Josh Green and Grant Williams 
Hornets get Gafford 
Nets get #18, #23 and Jabari Smith 
Hawks get #9 and Reed Sheppard 
Rockets get Kyrie 

Trade 2
Mavs get #3, #16 and #32
Grizzlies get #6, #8 and #23

Mavs draft:
#3 Cam Boozer 
#16 Ebuka Okorie 
#32 Isaiah Evans 

The Mavs would have subtracted Kyrie and Gafford .

The root trades are ones that have been discussed here before:

Mavs get Jabari Smith, Reed Sheppard and a future pick 
Rockets get Kyrie 

Mavs get #18
Hornets get Gafford 

The biggest obstacle would then be convincing the Nets that Jabari Smith + #18+#23 is better than whatever they'd pick at 6.

Also, it would be having the Grizzlies believe that a combo of (2 of) Brown, Wagler, Acuff, Burries Mara, Flemings, Ament, M. Johnson is better than Boozer.

Hell, the Mavs might decide they'd rather have two of them instead of one premium player. 

All I'm saying is I think it’s doable.

That's kind of the needle threading I was describing, though I'd assume we'd have to use future picks to get things done.

I know it depends how the board falls and you never want to show your hand, but moving back seems crazy.  We aren't likely to see a higher pick until 2031.