Dallas bolsters its international pipeline, acquiring a 6-foot-8 perimeter threat with elite shooting touch. This strategic draft-night gamble signals a significant shift in the Mavericks' long-term rebuilding efforts.
DALLAS - Just when you thought the Dallas Mavs might be done ... they did another one.
At Pick No. 9 of the first round of this NBA Draft, Dallas on Tuesday tabbed 6-9, 250-pound bruiser Morez Johnson Jr. from Michigan - the same program that was led by Dallas' new head coach Dusty May.
Then came a trade from Round 2 to manipulate a way to get 6-6 wing Sergio De Larrea from Spain.
In Round 2 on Wednesday, the Mavs selected Virginia Tech product Tobi Lawal with the No. 48 pick.
Are we done yet? Nope.
Word is that new GM Mike Schmitz recently made several trips oversees to scout foreign players like De Larrea ... and like Russian standout Vsevolod Ishchenko.
And even though the Lakers actually drafted Ishchenko with the No. 56 pick, he's now property of the Mavs, who gave LA "cash considerations'' for his rights.
Ishchenko, 21, won the VTB United League's Young Player of the Year award, figures as a stash player, a developmental addition who at 6-8 has shown prowess as a defender and as perimeter marksman; he shot 45 percent from three this season.
NBADraft.net compares him to Bogdan Bogdanovic.
This is part oNBADraft.net compares him to Bogdan Bogdanovic and writes, "Ishchenko is a skilled and versatile perimeter prospect whose combination of size, feel, shooting ability, and guard skills makes him one of the more intriguing international sleepers in the 2026 NBA Draft class... Standing 6-foot-8 and weighing 220 pounds, he possesses excellent size and strength for a perimeter player while maintaining the ball skills and vision of a combo guard."
That vision is likely down the road. For now?
Maybe Johnson will find himself holding down the paint and De Larrea (should he decide to come to Dallas now rather than being stashed) spacing the floor, Cooper Flagg can get some help as the Mavs rebuild.
