The Dallas Mavericks have the No. 9 and No. 30 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. This could change through draft-day trades, but as of right now, new team president Masai Ujiri has a chance to land two impactful rookies in his first year as the lead decision-maker.
While we have an idea about the top prospects Dallas is considering at No. 9, we won't know whether any or all of them will be available until June 23rd. So, let's do a little mock draft exercise to see if we can create the perfect yet realistic scenario for the Mavs on draft day.
1. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa
2. Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson
3. Memphis Grizzlies: Cam Boozer
The Wizards will almost certainly choose either BYU forward AJ Dybantsa or Kansas guard Darryn Peterson. Dybantsa only conducted formal visits with Washington and Utah, while Peterson only visited the Wizards. The BYU star is the most popular selection at No. 1, which leaves Peterson to Utah.
This means that Memphis has an easy choice with Cameron Boozer, even though there have been some rumors that Caleb Wilson might sneak into the top three. That scenario still seems unlikely as the top three are expected to be Boozer, Dybantsa, and Peterson in some order.
4. Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson
This gives the Bulls the easiest decision in the draft. This is widely expected to be a four-player draft. It's safe to assume that Chicago will draft whoever is left to them. In this case, they land Wilson, the athletic power forward with incredible upside.
5. LA Clippers: Keaton Wagler
6. Brooklyn Nets: Darius Acuff Jr.
7. Sacramento Kings: Kingston Flemings
8. Atlanta Hawks: Aday Mara
The next four picks after Chicago are where things get tricky. This will determine whether the Mavericks land one of their top choices.
It's widely considered that the No. 5-No.10 range in this year's draft class is full of talented lead guards. The Mavs would love to select one of Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr., Kingston Flemings, and Brayden Burries. The problem is that all four teams ahead of them can also use a point guard.
Here, the Clippers make the expected choice of selecting Wagler out of Illinois while the Nets go for the ultra-talented scorer Darius Acuff Jr. at No. 6.
Per the latest reports, the Kings are expected to select the best prospect on their board. Among players who have worked out for them, Flemings is the highest-ranked one, per HoopsHype's pre-draft workout tracker.
This makes Atlanta's decision the most important one for the Mavs. The Hawks have holes at point guard and at center. They are expected to use their two first-round picks (one at No. 8 and the other at No. 23) to fill these needs.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently wrote, "I've heard centers more when asking about what they’re looking to do at No. 8," referring to the Hawks. Given that Aday Mara is the best center prospect in the draft, this seems like a natural landing spot.
9. Dallas Mavericks: Mikel Brown Jr.
This would be a dream scenario for the Mavs. Star point guard out of Louisville is the total package, at least as an offensive engine. He has ball-handling, shooting, passing, and pick-and-roll craft in an ideal point guard frame. It doesn't take very long to notice that you are watching a special player when looking at Brown's college tape.
The nagging back injury that kept Brown sidelined for an extended period looks like a thing of the past, per ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel. He has reportedly been impressing in his workouts, and he already had a visit with the Mavs.
Starting with the Clippers at No. 5, this range in the draft is fluid. Chances are, the Mavs are going to draft one of the aforementioned point guards. If it ends up being Brown Jr., no Mavs fan will complain.
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