A Dallas executive told Spotrac the Mavericks deviated from their draft plan as the board fell, landing Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9 and Sergio De Larrea at No. 25.
DALLAS - A Dallas Mavericks front-office executive said the team entered the 2026 NBA Draft with a plan and had to adjust parts of it as the board fell, according to a Western Conference Summer League notebook published Friday by Keith Smith of Spotrac.
The executive, speaking to Smith in Las Vegas on the condition of anonymity, called Morez Johnson Jr. "an awesome frontcourt partner for Cooper and Dereck." The executive said landing Sergio De Larrea late in the first round was significant and that De Larrea can really play. The executive said Vsevolod Ishchenko is also a player and may need a year or so.
“We went in with a plan, but you always end up having to deviate some based on the board. The good news is that we feel like Morez (Johnson Jr.) is going to be an awesome frontcourt partner for Cooper (Flagg) and Dereck (Lively II),” a Mavs front office executive told Spotrac. “And getting Sergio (De Larrea) late in the first (round) is huge. He can really, really play. And don’t sleep on Seva (Vsevolod Ishchenko). It might be a year or so, but he’s a player too.”
The notebook runs through all 30 teams and came out of 11 days of reporting in Las Vegas.
Dallas held the ninth, 30th, and 48th picks entering the draft. The ninth pick came from the lottery, and the other two came from Washington in the Anthony Davis trade, originally the property of Oklahoma City and Phoenix.
The Mavericks took Johnson, a Michigan forward, with the ninth overall pick. He played for Mavericks coach Dusty May at Michigan last season and was named to the Final Four all-tournament team before declaring for the draft after his sophomore year.
After Caleb Wilson was picked fourth by Chicago, there was a significant run on guards. Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr., Darius Acuff Jr., and Kingston Flemings all came off the board before Dallas picked ninth. However, Brayden Burries was still available when the Mavericks made the pick, along with Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Nate Ament.
The 30th pick became Koa Peat, whose rights went to Phoenix by way of New York. Dallas came away with De Larrea, a 6-foot-5 guard from Valencia who had been selected 25th by the Lakers and routed through the Knicks. De Larrea signed a four-year rookie contract rather than remaining overseas on a draft-and-stash arrangement.
Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal went 48th. Lawal averaged 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks as a senior and posted a 45.5-inch max vertical at the NBA Draft Combine. Dallas then acquired the rights to Russian guard Vsevolod Ishchenko at 56th in a deal with Chicago routed through the Lakers. Ishchenko has not signed.
In the July 9 opener, a 101-90 loss to Golden State, Johnson went 12-of-17 for 27 points with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Against the Lakers on July 11 he put up 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks with 2 steals on 4-of-8 shooting. Calf soreness limited him to those two games. His averages came to 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, with 3.0 blocks and 2.5 steals, on 64% from the field and 75% from the line.
De Larrea averaged 8.8 assists and set a Mavericks Summer League record with 14 assists against Oklahoma City on July 16. He shot 27.3% from the field. Lawal finished with 8 points and 5 rebounds against the Lakers.
Dallas went 3-2 in Las Vegas and closed with a 110-88 win over the Knicks. The Summer League opener featured a starting lineup of Ryan Nembhard, De Larrea, John Poulakidas, Lawal, and Johnson. Since then, Nembhard was traded to Atlanta.
Dallas must cut its standard roster from 16 to 15 before opening night.
