DALLAS - We now know that the Dallas Mavs will select ninth overall in the 2026 NBA Draft ... and we now think there is no reason to be overly disappointed in that outcome.
"Very confident," new GM Mike Schmitz said of the team's ability of finding a running mate for Cooper Flagg. “We want someone who can bring a variety of different skills and bring kind of a mentality that we’re looking for.''
The GM used the phrase "rotation-level'' ... and that doesn't mean "star,'' so the idea of a "Batman-Robin'' thing starring Flagg might be a stretch.
But ...
Consider the history of the No. 9 overall pick as it relates to Dallas.
This will mark the fifth time in franchise history that the Mavericks have held the No. 9 pick.
The Mavericks, who selected Flagg No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft and who in draft also hold the No. 30 and No. 48 picks, took Rolando Blackman at No. 9 in 1981. They took Dale Ellis there in 1983. Those are hits.
They took Samaki Walker in 1996 and they took Dennis Smith in 2017. (OK, not hits).
But let's mention one more: Where was Dirk Nowitzki taken by Milwaukee in ... as part of the deal that would send him to Dallas?
That right. Dirk was a No. 9.
Schmitz and the Mavs seem to agree with the consensus that this could be described as one of the deepest draft classes in recent years.
Said president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, hired earlier this month: "It’s one of the deepest drafts in recent years.''
But then Ujiri deferred to his new GM.
"Honestly,'' he said, "I’m going to leave my comments to that guy over there. This is his time."
And it's Flagg's time.
Ujiri called Flagg "the gem'' as Dallas' centerpiece.
"We got a guy that makes it easy for us. His name is Cooper Flagg," Ujiri said. "That’s the gem you’re looking for wherever you go around the world. That’s the type of guy you’re looking for, and we’re lucky that we can start somewhere there."
Among the candidates who might be available at No. 9 are Kingston Flemings of Houston, Mikel Brown of Louisville, Brayden Burries of Arizona and Yaxel Lendenborg of Michigan.
