The 2026 NBA Draft is right around the corner, and the rumor mill is heating up. The Dallas Mavericks have two first-round picks (No. 9 and No. 30), putting the club in a great position to add more young talent to the roster. Rumors suggest the club wants to move up in the draft, as the front office is inquiring with other teams about possible trades.
NBA insider Jake Fischer claimed the Mavericks want to move up from pick No. 30. While the front office is rumored to be in talks with other organizations about making a deal, the franchise does not have much of anything to offer in future drafts to help make a trade come to fruition.
“Sources say that the Mavericks, meanwhile, have been talking to other teams about what it would take to move up from No. 30,” reported Fischer. “Dallas has the final pick of the opening round in addition to its turn at No. 9, but has already surrendered control of its top selection in the next four drafts thanks to trades made by the previous regime before Masai Ujiri took command in May.”
While the Mavericks are rumored to be seeking to trade the No. 30 pick to move up in the draft, other teams have been reaching out to the front office with interest in the No. 9 overall pick, per insider Brett Siegel. Reports indicate the front office is interested in acquiring multiple first-round picks, and dealing away the No. 9 pick could be under consideration.
“[The No. 9 pick] is viewed as a prime trade spot inside the top 10 with less than a week before the NBA Draft,” wrote Siegel. “Multiple teams have been in conversations with the Mavericks about trading this pick, and Dallas has signaled that it is very open to moving down. While their asking price is unknown at this time, the Mavs are said to be open to the idea of acquiring multiple first-round picks in this draft.”
What the Mavericks are planning to do is seemingly not clear. It appears the franchise is open to anything and everything as the front office builds a roster around 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.
Interestingly enough, Siegel has Dallas trading up from pick No. 30, along with pick No. 27 with the Boston Celtics, he predicts the Mavs trade for beforehand, and then trading picks 27 and 30 to move up to pick No. 22 with the Philadelphia 76ers in his latest NBA Mock Draft 3.5 to select point guard Ebuka Okorie out of Stanford.
“Okorie thrives as an offensive playmaker who can get to his spots and attack multiple defenders with his unique ball-handling skills,” said Siegel. “He also isn’t afraid to pull from deep, although his shot selection can be criticized at times. Word surrounding Okorie is that he could honestly go anywhere in the first round, and if he’s still on the board here, this seems like a classic Ujiri pick for long-term upside.”
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