2026 NBA draft thread

[DallasMaverick]

6.3%, baby!

More than triple the odds as last year!!

[Scott41theMavs]

6.3%, baby!

More than triple the odds as last year!!

That is true!

[Winter]

Not really upset moving back to 48.  That is a two way spot.  Mavs found two undrafted guys last year.  Opening an nba player and the other may be.  I wouldn’t expect you get a guy who is a threat to make the roster next year.  Not saying it is worthless but you can always move up pretty easily if you want.

Has anyone seen BAba miller?  Was once a draft darling but never happened.  He looked pretty good this year.  His highlights look great.  Brazille from Arkansas is also a swing on athleticism but not a smart player at the moment.

Brazille was an improved player towards the end of the year (which was actually true of all the Arkansas starters - Brazille, Acuff, Meleek Thomas, and Billy Richmond). Brazille is a great athletic big who can play on the wing, but he goes off an on from game to game. I'm not sure he'll get drafted, but he might find himself if he gets some time in the G League. He's got a lot of physical tools.

[dirkfansince1998]

Brazille was an improved player towards the end of the year (which was actually true of all the Arkansas starters - Brazille, Acuff, Meleek Thomas, and Billy Richmond). Brazille is a great athletic big who can play on the wing, but he goes off an on from game to game. I'm not sure he'll get drafted, but he might find himself if he gets some time in the G League. He's got a lot of physical tools.

6'9/6'10 versatile and athletic big with some handles. Not much of a shooter. If no one else is intersted he will end up in Toronto. Feels like they pick the same player every yea and he fits exactly into the profile.

[Knutsen]

6.3%, baby!

More than triple the odds as last year!!

We have to trust in Silver’s marketing genius - he can’t waste the Great White American Hope Cooper Flagg‘s first 5 years on a shitty team watching the playoffs from the couch… He just can’t from a money standpoint.

[khaled1987]

We have to trust in Silver’s marketing genius - he can’t waste the Great White American Hope Cooper Flagg‘s first 5 years on a shitty team watching the playoffs from the couch… He just can’t from a money standpoint.

Unless he hopes he will be the next franchise player in LA or NY like the two superstars we drafted in 2018.

[F Gump]

 The mismanaged tank job is one thing but they also built absolutely nothing of substance over these 82 games. It’s still exclusively Flagg and thats it. They barely played any young guys all season and didnt even make an effort to take looks at external younger players who actually might be here in a season or two. Just puzzling.

I agree that the Mavs botched the tank job, which is a big black eye on the GM types who set the priorities. That was really important, to get a top talent from this abysmal year, their golden chance to get a top running mate for Flagg. Did they? Nope. Instead, they settled for a path that will yield a low top-10 pick, in all likelihood, which gives them leftovers. Very inferior GMing.

But the idea that the Mavs "barely played any young guys all season" is so off base. 

They had 3 starters 22 or younger (Flagg, Christie, Nemby) and also gave tons of minutes to Williams, Cisse, Hardy, Kelly, Poulakidis, Johnson, Smith, Bagley to try to assess their future and perhaps help them grow as a player. Whether these were the right players or not, probably those spots need to be (and will be) upgraded next season, but there were lots of minutes allotted to youngsters. Those players got close to HALF of the total playing time this season.

At the same time, the Mavs played some veterans too, who will be headed into their prime and need to be good next season. Flagg needed that to allow his game to grow.

[dirkfansince1998]

I agree that the Mavs botched the tank job, which is a big black eye on the GM types who set the priorities. That was really important, to get a top talent from this abysmal year, their golden chance to get a top running mate for Flagg. Did they? Nope. Instead, they settled for a path that will yield a low top-10 pick, in all likelihood, which gives them leftovers. Very inferior GMing.

But the idea that the Mavs "barely played any young guys all season" is so off base. 

They had 3 starters 22 or younger (Flagg, Christie, Nemby) and also gave tons of minutes to Williams, Cisse, Hardy, Kelly, Poulakidis, Johnson, Smith, Bagley to try to assess their future and perhaps help them grow as a player. Whether these were the right players or not, probably those spots need to be (and will be) upgraded next season, but there were lots of minutes allotted to youngsters. Those players got close to HALF of the total playing time this season.

At the same time, the Mavs played some veterans too, who will be headed into their prime and need to be good next season. Flagg needed that to allow his game to grow.

Why exactly do those vets need to be good next season? I think that is what plenty of us are complaining about. It's not one year with a botched tank job. It's the refusal to actually rebuild with a longterm plan. They don't need to be good next season. They need to have all the available assets and young talent in 2-3 years.
Only reason to play vets next year should be to increase/recover their trade value.
You want Presti as the next GM but you seemingly aren't a big fan of his approach. But it's the approach that matters. Accumulating assets in all possible ways instead trying to win as many games as possible next season. Ignoring the record even in a year where the Mavs don't have their own first round pick. Offering a young team the opportunity to play as competitive as they can with no real pressure/expectations. 

And yes compared to other "tanking" teams the Mavs are way too old. Even players in their mid/late 20s aren't all that relevant for a potential rebuild around Flagg. Flagg is 19. Meaning that PJ, Gafford, Marshall and co will be on the wrong side of 30 before he signs his rookie extension. You don't need to have all players on the exact same timeline but at least need a core of young players that can develop together (individually and chemistry).

[F Gump]

"Why exactly do those vets need to be good next season? I think that is what plenty of us are complaining about. It's not one year with a botched tank job. It's the refusal to actually rebuild with a longterm plan. They don't need to be good next season."

I don't agree with this thesis. The Mavs have no upside to stretching out the misery. They won't get any draft benefits (for being a bad team) until 2031, so they need to go ahead and win. That also helps Flagg grow as a player -- the sooner you get him into playoff games, the faster he learns what THAT level of play is all about.

This team has a lot of talent. And a superstar in the works. If they hit in the draft (admittedly much iffier than it has to be, but they should have a good chance this summer at a solid starter or better), and find a good player in free agency with MLE, they could be competitive fairly quickly. It doesn't necessarily take years.

Not that I agree with it, but for the sake of discussion, I would also say that if they were to see things like you and plan to make this a slow arduous process, where they are trading their good players and blowing off a few seasons, they certainly want them to have been showcased in as positive a manner as possible in 2025-26. Gutting their value just before they trade them would not be wise. They certainly need more/better talent, and if they are trading away talent, they need talent in return.

But I'm expecting them in 26-27 to shoot at doing what PHX and POR did this season, neither of whom looked all that impressive in Oct, yet they each cobbled together a few good players and landed a playoff spot out of nowhere. I think if the Mavs can be healthy, they should be at least at that level. Flagg is a difference maker, and he will be even better next season. Put some talent around him, to open the floor and help him carry the load, and they have a good chance imo to take a leap.

PS - About Presti, he tanked because he had OKC picks that he could enhance. Unfortunately the Mavs don't have their own picks. That's the reality, and it would be stupid to tank if you don't have picks.

[dirkfansince1998]

"Why exactly do those vets need to be good next season? I think that is what plenty of us are complaining about. It's not one year with a botched tank job. It's the refusal to actually rebuild with a longterm plan. They don't need to be good next season."

I don't agree with this thesis. The Mavs have no upside to stretching out the misery. They won't get any draft benefits (for being a bad team) until 2031, so they need to go ahead and win. That also helps Flagg grow as a player -- the sooner you get him into playoff games, the faster he learns what THAT level of play is all about.

This team has a lot of talent. And a superstar in the works. If they hit in the draft (admittedly much iffier than it has to be, but they should have a good chance this summer at a solid starter or better), and find a good player in free agency with MLE, they could be competitive fairly quickly. It doesn't necessarily take years.

Not that I agree with it, but for the sake of discussion, I would also say that if they were to see things like you and plan to make this a slow arduous process, where they are trading their good players and blowing off a few seasons, they certainly want them to have been showcased in as positive a manner as possible in 2025-26. Gutting their value just before they trade them would not be wise. They certainly need more/better talent, and if they are trading away talent, they need talent in return.

But I'm expecting them in 26-27 to shoot at doing what PHX and POR did this season, neither of whom looked all that impressive in Oct, yet they each cobbled together a few good players and landed a playoff spot out of nowhere. I think if the Mavs can be healthy, they should be at least at that level. Flagg is a difference maker, and he will be even better next season. Put some talent around him, to open the floor and help him carry the load, and they have a good chance imo to take a leap.

If that's how you view it I don't get why you actually want the Mavs to go after Presti. Because what I am proposing is more or less what he did in OKC. Starting with a fire sale (George and Westbrook still in their primes). Followed by multiple years of absorbing bad contracts in exchange for picks. Recovering the value of vets. Selling them for more picks. Playing young lineups and making multiple first round picks in most years. Starting in 2019. And still doing it when the Thunder were already a really good team in 2024. Loss against the Mavs basically resulted in him entering win now mode (Giddey-Caruso trade).

Your proposal screams treadmill to me. I absolutely don't want to end up like PHX or POR. Think those teams are already close to their ceiling and they started from a more advantageous position than the current Mavs as far as young talent and future picks go.
Mavs already rushed the rebuild around Luka with a premature trade for KP. No need to make the same mistakes over and over again.

Would much rather watch a young and promising team that might not be able to reach the playoffs next season than the same collection of mediocre vets even if the vets might win a few extra games.

But I guess the main difference as far as our evaluation goes is that I really don't see a team with lots of talent when I look at the Mavs. Don't think nailing one draft pick this summer is enough to get back on track.

[Chicagojk]

Thomas Haigh going back to school.

I did not know he had eligibility left. He was probably my favorite mid first round prospect even if I had concerns if he ever becomes an above average shooter. Just does so many winning things and plays so hard. Really surprised with this.

[Smitty]

[dirkfansince1998]

PS - About Presti, he tanked because he had OKC picks that he could enhance. Unfortunately the Mavs don't have their own picks. That's the reality, and it would be stupid to tank if you don't have picks

Just saw this and strongly disagree. First of all. Not trying to build for the future because the Mavs don't control their picks is a classic case of sunk cost fallacy. Mavs cannot change the past. Cannot get their picks back. It's in their best interest to build the best possible team around Flagg. That's all that matters.
And I am not even sure where you get the idea that I want to tank. As you just stated. Mavs have no reason to tank. They can try to win as many games as possible. They can do that with the current roster that basically has no future value when it comes to building around Flagg. Or a rebuilding team that at least has a chance to improve over the next 3-4 years.

But back to Presti. Good example would be the 2020 Thunder. They had just sold George and Westbrook. Did not control their pick. Absorbed bad salary that actually helped them play a semi competitive season (winning record and first round loss). CP3 and Gallinari as veteran leaders of a young team. As the only two players on the wrong side of 30. With a young SGA leading the team in minutes and various young prospects getting minutes (basically a trial and error approach to identify keepers). For example Dort
After the season they traded CP3 to the Suns and Gallinari to the Hawks. Adding more picks in the process.

That's smart management. Not concerned about winning at all costs. All about maximizing future assets.

[F Gump]

If that's how you view it I don't get why you actually want the Mavs to go after Presti. Because what I am proposing is more or less what he did in OKC. Starting with a fire sale (George and Westbrook still in their primes). Followed by multiple years of absorbing bad contracts in exchange for picks. Recovering the value of vets. Selling them for more picks. Playing young lineups and making multiple first round picks in most years. Starting in 2019. And still doing it when the Thunder were already a really good team in 2024. Loss against the Mavs basically resulted in him entering win now mode (Giddey-Caruso trade).

1 I think my view of Presti is way diff than yours.
2 You see him as having one way to build a team. I think he's way more than a one-trick pony. That's why I want him. 
3 Presti would have to work with what's here to work with, and it's not the same as what he had to work with in OKC. Over time, I would expect he would find repeated ways to build the Mavs' draft capital, while also having a better team. The 2 are not mutually exclusive. 
4 For Presti (or whoever) the presence of Flagg has to impact just about everything, frankly. The timeline to chase the top (IMO) will be accelerated because, with Flagg, it can. The quest to find the guy to build around is not really needed - now it's doing that building, asap.

Presti please. Let an expert do the work from here.

[dirkfansince1998]

1 I think my view of Presti is way diff than yours.
2 You see him as having one way to build a team. I think he's way more than a one-trick pony. That's why I want him. 
3 Presti would have to work with what's here to work with, and it's not the same as what he had to work with in OKC. Over time, I would expect he would find repeated ways to build the Mavs' draft capital, while also having a better team. The 2 are not mutually exclusive. 
4 For Presti (or whoever) the presence of Flagg has to impact just about everything, frankly. The timeline to chase the top (IMO) will be accelerated because, with Flagg, it can. The quest to find the guy to build around is not really needed - now it's doing that building, asap.

Presti please. Let an expert do the work from here.

I think Flagg has the potential to be just as good or better than Luka. But I think he isn't as much of a floor raiser as rookie contract Luka. Mavs have tried to accelerate the process so many times and it never really worked. Instead of praying that someone like Presti can do the same stuff that Nelson, Cuban and Harrison did...just better. For once change the approach. Let somebody with a proven approach and track record do his thing.

[F Gump]

I think Flagg has the potential to be just as good or better than Luka. But I think he isn't as much of a floor raiser as rookie contract Luka. Mavs have tried to accelerate the process so many times and it never really worked. Instead of praying that someone like Presti can do the same stuff that Nelson, Cuban and Harrison did...just better. For once change the approach. Let somebody with a proven approach and track record do his thing.

You read me wrong. I want Presti. He's the expert. He has the skills to build the team the best way around Flagg. 

He would have very different pieces to work with in DAL, than he had in OKC after getting SGA. So I think his choices and path here would look very different as a result. But who knows?

Let's have the Mavs hire him so we can find out!