The Dallas Mavericks landed one of the most renowned scouts in the league just as the NBA Draft process ramps up.
It was clear that new Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri wanted to have a full-time general manager in place before the 2026 NBA Draft process ramps up.
Just days before the order gets set in Sunday's lottery, Dallas hired one of the league's best front office scouts in former Portland Trail Blazers assistant GM, Mike Schmitz.
The Mavericks' new leadership now turns its attention to a pivotal draft where they have an opportunity to pair teenage star Cooper Flagg with a likely top-10 prospect.
Entering the lottery, Dallas has a 6.7 percent chance of repeating as the team with the No. 1 overall pick after landing Flagg a year ago. The Mavs have the largest odds of placing either eighth or ninth in the draft order.
They have just under a 30 percent chance of moving into the top four, which would allow Ujiri and Schmitz to scout the consensus top tier of incoming rookies, AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and Caleb Wilson.
"We have the draft, we have free agency, we have so many things," Ujiri said this week. "We have young players on our team. We have to now start focusing on this. We can’t cry forever. I know there has to be a healing process here. We’ve gone through that a little bit, but we have something shiny here [in Flagg] and we’re going to win, and we’re going to win here in Dallas."
The lottery will be held on May 10 at 2 p.m. CT in Chicago with Mavs legend Rolando Blackman, once again, representing the organization on the stage. Former co-interim GM Matt Riccardi will be in the ping-pong ballroom, as scheduled from before Ujiri and Schmitz's hiring.
Schmitz's track record as an executive and draft guru has Mavs fans believing that this year's selection will bring Flagg his runningmate of the future.
After a career on ESPN as a draft expert, Schmitz built the reputation of having sharp and analytical mind, with strong ties to international prospects, too.
"When it comes to compiling young talent and knowing when to cut ties with players for maximum value," says Roundtable's Jonah Kubicek, "the Blazers have been one of the better teams since 2022, when Schmitz took on his role in their front office.
"As Dallas rebuilds, having a fresh face and savvy leader is key, and fans should be excited for the move."
That's especially true for the upcoming NBA Draft process.
