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
Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott Has Stong Message For Disappointing Wide Receiver Amidst CeeDee Lamb Uncertainty – Gridiron Heroics
The Dallas Cowboys are facing a great deal of uncertainty as they head into a 2024 NFL season that could very well determine the immediate future of the franchise. Head coach Mike McCarthy is entering the final year of his contract and has not been given an extension. While he has led the Cowboys to a 42-25 record in four seasons (including three-consecutive 12-5 finishes), Dallas is just 1-3 in the NFL Playoffs during his tenure. Nothing short of a prolonged run in the postseason will ensure he keeps his job beyond ths season.
Additionally, the Cowboys are working on contract extensions for their three biggest stars: quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and linebacker Micah Parsons. While Prescott and Parsons are present and participating in training camp, Lamb is not.
Dallas Cowboys Wide Receiver CeeDee Lamb Is Holding Out
Lamb is holding out until the Cowboys agree to pay him what he wants, which is a salary to match or rival the $35 million Justin Jefferson got with the Minnesota Vikings.
Earlier this offseason, Jefferson and the Vikings agreed to a four-year $140 million contract extension. This deal pays Jefferson $35 million a year, which is the highest annual salary for a non-quarterback in NFL history.
Both players entered the NFL in 2020 and have put up big numbers, though Jefferson holds the edge in several categories:
| CeeDee Lamb | Justin Jefferson | |
| Receptions | 395 | 392 |
| Receiving Yards | 5,145 | 5,899 |
| Touchdowns | 32 | 30 |
As one can see, Jefferson has just three less receptions, but over 700 more receiving yards than Lamb. Jefferson also missed seven games last season while Lamb has missed just one game yet in his career.
Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott Tells Jalen Tolbert to Have a WR1 Mindset
Lamb, of course, is the Cowboys’ top pass catcher. Last season, he led the entire NFL with 135 receptions while racking up 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Without him in training camp, more Cowboys wide receivers are getting targets from Prescott and the other quarterbacks. One of them, Jalen Tolbert, received a strong message from his starting quarterback:
“I told him, your role is to go show that you can be a No. 1 receiver. At minimal, a No. 2 receiver. He’s approached this camp with that intensity, with that mindset.”
Tolbert, a third-round pick in 2022, has not lived up to the expectations the team had for him when he was first drafted. In his rookie season, he had just two receptions for 12 yards. Last year, Tolbert had 22 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
If Lamb’s holdout extends into the regular season, Tolbert is going to be tasked with filling a huge hole on the offense. Hopefully Prescott’s message helps him reach that level.
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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.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
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What Drake London’s new deal could mean for George Pickens
Falcons WR Drake London is now the NFL’s third-highest paid wide receiver in AAV, signing a four-year, $141 million extension with $100 million guaranteed and $35.26 million per year.
London, who is 25, is the same age as Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, and both are heading into their fifth seasons in the NFL. Pickens too was seeking a long-term contract, but the Cowboys told him and his representation that would not happen this offseason, and he instead signed his $27.3 million franchise tag that keep shim under contract for the 2026 season.
Pickens’ one-year deal on the tag makes him the 17th highest-paid wide receiver in the league in AAV. Should Pickens go out and post a year similar to his 2025 campaign where he had more than 1,400 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, a deal similar to London’s may be in the ballpark of what Pickens could seek. For reference, CeeDee Lamb is the league’s fifth-highest paid WR at $34 million annually. If Pickens surpasses him and is closer to London’s $35 million per year mark, he and Lamb would become the highest-paid WR duo in NFL history, surpassing the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who currently combine for $69 million per year. – Tommy Yarrish
The Texas Department of Public Safety, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Garland Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abby Policastro and Marissa Aulbaugh prosecuted the case.
“This verdict should send a clear message to drug dealers that we will dismantle any effort to peddle deadly fentanyl in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their dedicated collaboration in taking thousands of fentanyl pills off the streets of Dallas.”
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