The Dallas Mavericks are in the best position to get their perfect Cooper Flagg running mate in the 2026 NBA Draft. Most of the mock drafts for Dallas have been linked to guards, but there's one report that links an NCAA championship coach to the Mavericks.
If so, the Mavericks would be in a perfect position for Michigan big man Aday Mara, who's coming off a national championship with Michigan head coach Dusty May. NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported that May is a name in the running for Dallas (subscription required), and if that's the case, the Mavs may have their own Victor Wembanyama stopper in the draft.
The injuries to Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in the past two seasons have made for plenty of dark clouds for the big man rotation, and if May is hired, Mara is in the perfect position to be picked at No. 9.
Dusty May becoming Mavs head coach would make for an easy Aday Mara draft pick
According to Tankathon, Mara is projected to be picked at No. 8 by the Atlanta Hawks. Mara's stock has been rising since his national championship victory, and Dallas has every reason to draft Mara, solely to answer Wembanyama's size.
It seems having a 7-foot-3 or taller asset is the new trend in today's NBA, and it's working out with Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey, who was dominating on the court before suffering a major left ankle injury.
Mara transferred to Michigan from UCLA and immediately became the beast that everybody was talking about. He won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and improved in every category, averaging 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.
As for May, he's one of the hottest coaches in college basketball. After leading Florida Atlantic to the Final Four three years ago, May led Michigan to one of the most dominant seasons in program history and a national championship a few months ago. May has the resume any NBA general manager would need to give him the green light, and he's got Mara as a trending draft prospect.
Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. are other guys to watch on the board if the Mavericks do trade down in the draft, but the chances are the Mavericks are a team to watch to trade up in the draft, if anything were to change.
There's still Jon Scheyer from Duke to watch for a potential dream reunion for Flagg, but the Duke head coaching job is as sacred as it gets. Chances are Scheyer will spend as much time as he can there, considering the recruiters at Duke are top-notch.
If May is hired as the Mavs head coach, it would be a slam dunk pick for Mara if he's available. Even though he's going to need to work on his free throws, his presence in the paint is enough for most teams to fear attacking the basket.
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