Three international players? That’s how many the Dallas Mavericks drafted this week. That’s three more than last season.
And it’s a huge shift from the previous year, where the Mavs either traded or refrained from resigning every single international player still on the team – after having at least one but up to five European or international players on the roster continuously for over 30 years.
The Dallas Mavericks have had a proud tradition of being first-movers on international talent for decades. We all know how Dirk Nowitzki was doubted before Dallas put their trust in him, and how Luka Doncic fell to third in the 2018 draft, despite being the biggest prospect in years – mainly because he never played college basketball.
The Mavs have been known to look abroad consistently and turn their focus outward and in new places to find promising talent since the 1990s.
But under the leadership of General Manager Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd, who was brought to Dallas in 2021, things changed.
As Mark Cuban stepped away, eventually selling the majority of the franchise in 2023, the outward focus turned inward, and stars – who were once superstars – were valued higher than potential and hidden treasures. The thought-process seemed to be that old is trustworthy, new is risky and what once worked will always work. And with that, the Mavs as a franchise came to a standstill.
But a sudden course correction has taken place recently. New leadership, consisting of experienced, international scouts were brought to Dallas, and with that a shift and a tangible rebuild has commenced.
New GM Mike Schmitz and president Masai Ujiri wasted no time looking outside the US to find diamonds in the rough for this year’s draft, despite only being in Dallas for a little under two months.
And it looks like there might be three this year, though it’s unclear who will be stashed (remain with their overseas team to develop). The Mavs traded Koa Peat at 30 to get Sergio De Larrea (to the New York Knicks) from Valencia, a club that just secured an incredible ACB Spanish championship win over powerhouse Barcelona.
De Larrea is a Spanish point guard and a 6’7 shooter, straight out of the European basketball tradition, and more specifically, the Spanish – just like Luka Doncic.
De Larrea debuted for Valencia’s best team and in the Euroleague at 17. After playing for some smaller and reserve teams and declining offers to play college basketball in the US, he returned to a regular role with Valencia as a point guard in 2024/25.
Other noteworthy accomplishments from the 20-year-old include a FIBA World Cup U19 Gold medal with Spain in 2023 and a Spanish Liga ACB Young Player of the Year award in 2026.
The likelihood of this being a draft-and-stash seems lower at the moment than just after the draft. According to Spanish sources, the Mavs’ commitment to De Larrea is “completely firm, because their new coach, Dusty May, considers him a guaranteed part of next season’s roster… Any possibility that De Larrea would remain with Valencia Basket has essentially disappeared.”
Basically, this is not some scrappy European guy, but at 20, he’s a player who could develop into a serious shooting guard, at least, in the NBA. As Schmitz confirmed after the draft, the Mavs leadership has a strong focus on positional size, and here he also checks all boxes at 6’7.
The second player of this Mavs draft, who may have come even more out of nowhere to many, is Russian wing Vsevolod Ishchenko (Seva). The Mavericks traded cash considerations to the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire his draft rights. He was selected with the No. 56 pick.
Seva is considered more of a clear draft-and-stash, and the still raw 6’8 Russian wing, playing in the not very athletic Russian VTB United league, stands out as extremely athletic. He looks to have a huge potential, and can be an asset and development piece for the Mavs down the line.
He made his name early in Russia’s youth basketball system, earning two VTB Youth April MVP awards while dominating the junior ranks for Lokomotiv Kuban-2 at 18. This earned him a spot on Lokomotiv Kuban’s senior team in the professional Russian VTB United League. He was named a VTB United League All-Star and took home the league’s Young Player of the Year award this season.
Seva’s efficiency stands out, according to RotoWire. Shooting above 50 percent from the field and over 46 percent from three on respectable volume for a 20-year-old, he has a solid shooting touch. Along with his frame, it makes him dangerous on the perimeter. “He moves fluidly in transition, attacks downhill with body control and absorbs contact at the rim.”
The third player is English Tobi Lawal, selected at 48 by the Mavericks. The 23-year-old didn’t start playing basketball until 16, and attended City of London Academy basketball programme before he left for prep school in Lee, Maine. He stayed in the US and spent his college years at VCU and Virginia Tech. The last two years at Virginia, the 6’8 power forward averaged just above 12 points.
With these three players, three of four drafted by the Mavs, the return of an international outlook and a welcoming of fresh currents in Dallas means a certain level of excitement in the Mavs world and especially for the many international fans of the franchise.
Paradoxically, it feels like the Mavs are returning to the past. Back when they took a chance on Dirk, and put everything on Luka.
There’s a feeling among Mavs fans that the tide has turned and new, exciting prospects and ways of playing and rebuilding have emerged. And that is not a bad way to start a new season.
