The Dallas Mavericks entered the 2026 NBA Draft with the #9 pick, the #30 pick and a fair amount of trade rumors swirling around them. After selecting Morez Johnson, Jr. at #9, things went dreadfully quiet on the trade front. As subsequent picks were made and the minutes ticked by, it seemed apparent that Dallas would be making a selection at #30 instead of packaging that pick with a veteran in an effort to move up the draft board. Any hope at picking up a young guard to help in the rebuild looked bleak.
Dallas, TX
Cowboys tight end roster review: Jake Ferguson’s rise makes Dallas’ job easy this offseason
The 2024 offseason comes with many question marks for the Dallas Cowboys roster, but the tight end position is one they won’t need to worry over. Thanks to Jake Ferguson’s ascension as the starter and young depth under contract, TE is one of the team’s strengths as it prepares for its next campaign.
Ferguson’s excellent first year as TE1 was just capped with being named a Pro Bowl alternate. Just two seasons in, the former fourth-round pick has already made us forget Dalton Schultz and looks like the best to man the position since Jason Witten. He’s also one of the team’s best bargains on a Day 3 rookie contract; even a likely bump in pay from performance escalators won’t change that.
You almost have to feel bad for Luke Schoonmaker, who didn’t ask to be drafted in the second round or by a team that already had its guy. He’ll have a hard time justifying the draft position in Ferguson’s shadow, but the front office deserves the criticism there. At the very least, Schoonmaker is a talented backup who’s also provided solid work as a run blocker. His offensive role could expand in his second season and allow Dallas to exploit matchup problems.
TEs Under Contract for 2024
- Jake Ferguson – $1.16m cap hit
- Luke Schoonmaker – $1.42m cap hit
- Peyton Hendershot- $990k cap hit
- John Stephens – $916k cap hit
- Princeton Fant – $795k cap hit
Even beyond the top two, things are pretty solid overall. Peyton Hendershot has proven effective when targeted and a good runner after the catch. We’re also intrigued to see if John Stephens Jr., a TE/WR hybrid, can come back from a preseason ACL tear and build on the strong receiving work he showed last year. Prospect Princeton Fant, an undrafted free agent last year, is also back after spending 2023 on the practice squad.
One thing we can almost guarantee this spring is that Dallas won’t be making any big moves at tight end. Their top two are set and they could ride with the current depth. At most, we’ll probably see them add a few camp bodies from this year’s UDFA crop or maybe a very late-round pick for a player they really like.
If the Cowboys were to make any move in free agency, it might be to re-sign Sean McKeon for experienced depth or bring in someone with more proven blocking ability. That is the one issue with Hendershot and Stephens as depth options, which could be a factor as improving the run will be an offseason focus for the team.
Whatever minor tweaks come, Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker make life relatively easy for Dallas’ front office this offseason. The Cowboys can direct attention and resources elsewhere on the roster, confident in what they’ve already established at the top of the TE depth chart.
Why Gabby Williams chose to play for Golden State Valkyries
Valkyries’ Gabby Williams shares with USAT’s Meghan L. Hall why she chose Golden State in the wild WNBA free agency.
Sports Seriously
When the Dallas Wings travel to Las Vegas for a clash with the Aces on Thursday night, they’ll be without one of their key players.
Alanna Smith is listed as out for Thursday on the latest WNBA injury report as she is in concussion protocol.
Smith seemingly suffered an injury to her face on Saturday night during the Wings’ 93-92 win over the Chicago Sky. In the first quarter, Smith was shaken up after a head-to-head collision with Gabriela Jaquez as Smith was defending the Sky rookie’s drive to the basket. At halftime, the team announced that Smith would not return to the game.
On Monday, Smith didn’t play in the Wings’ 112-110 overtime win over the Seattle Storm, listed as being out due to a face injury. Smith has worn a protective face mask after she suffered a nasal fracture in the Wings’ preseason game against the Aces on May 3.
Smith is the highest-paid player on the Dallas roster, signing a three-year deal worth about $3.7 million this offseason. Last season with the Minnesota Lynx, she was the co-Defensive Player of the Year, sharing the award with A’ja Wilson.
A 6-foot-4 forward from Australia who played collegiately at Stanford, Smith found a consistent role over the past two seasons with the Minnesota Lynx, starting in all 81 games she appeared in for Cheryl Reeve’s squad. Across two seasons in Minnesota, Smith averaged 9.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, helping the Lynx make back-to-back playoff appearances — including a trip to the Finals in 2024.
With the Wings, she’s started in just seven of the 15 games she’s appeared in, playing an average of 15.1 minutes per game. She’s posting 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
Dallas has instead turned to Jessica Shepard in the frontcourt, who also arrived via free agency after spending last season with the Lynx. The Notre Dame product is posting career-highs in points (14.2), rebounds (11.1) and assists (5.6) per game while shooting 57% from the floor.
Still, Smith brings an imposing presence on defense, one that would have come in handy against the Aces.
A 12-year-old Dallas middle-schooler ended up on the streets, where a pimp discovered her. For as little as $50, he sold her for sex. He withheld food unless she worked. She later disappeared into the state’s foster care system after suffering from depression. She attempted suicide.
A 13-year-old seventh- grader was forced to have sex with men in Houston by a pimp who hooked her on drugs. She died shortly after turning 18 from a fentanyl overdose — a few months before her abuser was sentenced to prison.
A 17-year-old Lubbock runaway was required to have sex with men in hotels and truck stops until she earned her pimp $1,000 daily. That quota meant seeing up to 20 “clients” per day. She spiraled into drug addiction.
These children have more in common than the abuse they endured — and the lifelong trauma that comes with it. Each was mandated by federal law to receive financial compensation from the pimps and pedophiles who abused them.
You can read more in-depth reporting from our media partner, The Dallas Morning News.
With the #30 pick, Dallas selected Koa Peat, Adam Silver said goodnight and that was that. Except it wasn’t. As the first round of the Draft was concluding, rumors started buzzing that the Mavericks were in fact making a move. Details are still being confirmed, but as it stands, Dallas will be trading the #30 pick Koa Peat and two future second-round draft picks to the New York Knicks in exchange for Sergio DeLarrea’s services. The exact second-rounders were still being determined late Tuesday night.
Here are the details we have at this time:
Los Angeles Lakers Received: 24th Overall Pick (Cameron Carr, Baylor)
Dallas Mavericks Received: 25th Overall (Sergio de Larrea, Spain)
Phoenix Suns Received: 30th Overall (Koa Peat, Arizona)
New York Knicks Received: Cash (Lakers), two second-round picks (Mavericks), and three more second-round picks (Suns)
DeLarrea was on the radar of a number of Mavs Moneyball staffers, perhaps none more than Tyler Edsel who wrote an excellent crash course on him and what he can bring to the Mavs. To be clear, it is unlikely he is going to have a massive day-one impact on the team, but the Mavericks really needed to do something to acquire more young talent that fit a position of need. While he may not be as flashy a name as Brayden Burries (whom the Mavs skipped over in favor of Morez) or Labaron Philon, Jr. (who somewhat surprisingly slipped to #22), Dallas really needed to do bolster the guard position and they came through.
If DeLarrea’s shooting transfers to the NBA level, it would be a big boon for a team that struggled from downtown much of last season. While not an immediate impact player, Dallas did well to move up a bit in a low-cost move that keeps all of their other assets intact for what will surely be a summer of retooling via trades and free agency.
Stay tuned for updates, as it is unclear which second-round picks the Mavericks will let go of in this deal.
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