Reports are surfacing that is likely the first-round pick is on his way to Dallas after a title-winning season in Spain.
DALLAS - Just days after the Dallas Mavericks acquired the draft rights to Sergio De Larrea, the 6-6 Spanish guard helped Valencia Basket complete a dominant win over FC Barcelona to capture the Liga ACB championship.
Valencia beat Barcelona three games to one, most recently clinching the title in a 108-84 blowout. De Larrea, the No. 25 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday night, averaged nine points per game in the four-game series.
On the season, De Larrea, 20, posted averages of 9.7 points, 3.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds in just over 18 minutes per game.
Now it is believed that he will not be a "draft-and-stash" prospect. According to international basketball coverage on Encestando.es, De Larrea is "already heading to Dallas to sign with the Mavericks."
There are other reports that he is inking a four-year rookie contract, which pairs him with Dallas' other first-rounder, No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr. on a long-term basis.
"Any lingering doubts about his future have now been dispelled," the report said. "The Dallas Mavericks want Sergio de Larrea and - we have confirmed - the Valencia Basket player is headed to the NBA following the draft."
And what a whirlwind of a draft it was.
De Larrea - who appears to go by the nickname "Larry" on social media with his teammates - woke up in the early hours of the morning to find out he had been traded twice in the NBA Draft, landing with Dallas before he had even gotten out of bed. Hours later, he suited up for Valencia Basket and helped clinch a Spanish League championship.
The draft chaos came first. De Larrea was technically selected 25th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, had his rights immediately flipped to the New York Knicks and then was traded again to Dallas in a deal that sent Koa Peat and future second-round picks back to Los Angeles. By the time the dust settled, the guard belonged to the Mavericks before he had even taken the floor that night.
"I slept until about 2 a.m., woke up and didn’t fall back asleep until around 5:30," he said to DAZN. "I did sleep for hours, but honestly, my body was exhausted."
De Larrea was named the Liga ACB Best Young Player this season after solid shooting percentages in his relatively small sample size.
"With Sergio, a big guard, 6-6, 6-7, really high basketball IQ, he shoots the ball well, can handle and can pass," Mavs general manager Mike Schmitz said. "To have that level of productivity and comfort at age 20 at one of the best programs in the world is really attractive to us."
The Mavs executives took intention to watch De Larrea compete for the championship this week following the draft.
"We were hunkered down in the theater and watched the whole thing together and he played his role and he did a great job in a big win, and we spoke to him briefly after," Schmitz said. "He’s doing a great job this season and has a lot to be proud of.
"He’s super excited and very excited about the opportunity, the (Mavs’) organization. He’s actually been a Mavs fan at different points of his life growing up, so he shared some of those stories and how thankful he is to be part of the organization."
