After lottery luck faded, Dallas shifts focus to a deep draft class. Who could bolster the roster around Cooper Flagg?
DALLAS - The moment Dallas Mavericks fans have been circling on their calendars since the end of the season came and went on Sunday, and if last year's luck was a roar?
This was a whimper.
A year ago, Dallas won the No. 1 pick despite having just a 1.8% chance. And Cooper Flagg became a Mav ... and a sensation.
This year?
The Mavericks entered with the eighth-best odds in the lottery. ... but once the ping-pong balls dropped, so did Dallas.
And the Mavs now have the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
The Washington Wizards earned the No. 1 overall pick from the group of 14 candidates.
The FULL 2026 NBA Draft First-Round order:
1. Wizards
2. Jazz
3. Grizzlies
4. Bulls
5. Clippers (via IND)
6. Nets
7. Kings
8. Hawks (via NOP)
9. Mavs
10. Bucks
11. Warriors
12. Thunder (via LAC)
13. Heat
14. Hornets
15. Bulls (via POR)
16. Grizzlies (via ORL)
17. Thunder (via PHI)
18. Hornets (via PHX)
19. Raptors
20. Spurs (via ATL)
21. Pistons (via MIN)
22. 76ers (via HOU)
23. Hawks (via CLE)
24. Knicks
25. Lakers
26. Nuggets
27. Celtics
28. Timberwolves (via DET)
29. Cavs (via SAS)
30. Mavs (via OKC)
This is the last lottery pick Dallas controls until 2031 and it arrives in one of the deepest draft classes in years. AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson headline the top of the board, but the talent does not fall off a cliff after them.
Prospects like Mikel Brown, Brayden Burries and Kingston Flemings give even a ninth pick real value.
One year ago the impossible happened. This time around? A relative whimper as the new leaders of the organization (just-hired president Masai Ujiri and just-hired GM Mike Schmitz) get to work building around Flagg.
