Dallas could target a dynamic, yet polarizing, Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. at No. 8, hoping he becomes their future backcourt star.
March Madness just concluded with Michigan winning the National Championship over UConn. Now that it is over, mocks for the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft are going to start flying left and right.
And due to their somewhat disappointing season, the Dallas Mavericks will most likely have a solid pick.
In the most recent mock draft by Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, following the conclusion of the tournament, he has the Mavs taking their point guard of the future in Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. at No. 8.
Brown enters the draft conversation as one of the more polarizing prospects in the 2026 class. After a freshman season at Louisville that featured flashes of elite shot-making and creativity, scouts remain split on his long-term outlook.
He put up 18 points and just under five assists despite dealing with a lingering back injury, showcasing clear offensive talent but also inconsistency that evaluators can’t ignore.
For the Mavericks, however, this is exactly the kind of swing that makes sense.
Dallas is in a transitional phase, building around its young core and searching for a long-term answer in the backcourt after Kyrie Irving either leaves or calls it quits. With a player as talented as Brown, the team should be more than willing to deal with some growing pains when it comes to his shooting efficiency.
One of the other major concerns with Brown's style of play is the fact that you might want more passing ability at the point guard spot. But with Cooper Flagg looking very natural handling the ball and getting to others effectively, the Mavs might not be as worried about that as some other teams would.
Irving likely still has a number of seasons left to contribute at a high level, so Dallas might not necessarily need an answer at point guard right this second. But getting someone to play with Kyrie and learn from him might be something for the team to consider.
And if that is something the team is looking at, the Cardinals' star freshman is one of the best guards in this draft class.