The day that many Dallas Mavericks fans have waited for has finally arrived. The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft will take place Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and the Mavs will presumably get the chance to continue building around Cooper Flagg. This is the last draft pick the Mavericks will have their control over until 2031, so in all likelihood, this will be their last, best chance to add a premier young player to the roster. No pressure, right?
With all that in mind, here are a few things you should be aware of as we head into the night.
Trade winds are blowing
Well, after the news of Monday that has Dallas hiring National Champion Dusty May as their next head coach, the rumors have begun to swirl about the Mavs potentially trying to bring in one of his former players. Whether it’s center Aday Mara, or forwards Yaxel Lendeborg or Morez Johnson Jr., the conversation has gotten loud. For what it’s worth, the fine folks over at the Fanduel Sportsbook still make Arizona guard Brayden Burries (+250) a pretty sizable favorite to go ninth over the aforementioned Mara (+500), Houston’s Kingston Flemings (+700) and Illinois’ Keaton Wagler (+850).
Will a guard fall to Dallas?
If the Mavericks are at least going to get to the clock at pick nine, it is fair to wonder if one of the guards in that range simply falls to them. Whether it be Flemings, Wagler, Burries, Mikel Brown Jr. or Darius Acuff, someone or multiple someones will likely be there at nine. The question is, will Dallas like the one that falls? If so, expect them to stick and pick. If not, well, see above.
The Pick 30 of it all
But wait, there’s more! Because of the Anthony Davis trade (the second, much more liked one), Dallas also owns pick 30 of this draft. However, like seemingly every other team in that range, the Mavs are looking to make a deal to move up from there. This is likely where you’ll see any vets moved, such as Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall or PJ Washington. There are a ton of scenarios for round one in Dallas, and very few of them seem to have Dallas sticking at both nine and thirty. We’ll have our eyes peeled for movement early and often.
How to watch
You can find your draft coverage on ABC and/or ESPN, depending on which flavor of coverage you’re after. One of them will have a more NBA focused crew, while the other will have a college crew who is more familiar with the prospects. Don’t ask me why or which one I’ll be watching (it’ll be whichever one has Fran Fraschilla on it).
Also, catch our recap show on youtube tomorrow after draft! Kirk and several familiar faces from the site will be live to recap what the Mavs and the league at large has done. A fun time will be had!
