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
Grizzlies get first taste of Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg
The Memphis Grizzlies are hoping to bounce back as they take Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks.
To learn more about Flagg and the Mavs, we spoke with Dallas Mavericks On SI contributor Austin Veazey.
He’s been… fine? Jason Kidd tried rolling him out at point guard to start the season, which was leading to poor results for the entire offense, but specifically Flagg. He just isn’t a point guard. He may have good playmaking instincts, but he’s best as a secondary playmaker. It’s no surprise that he then turned in arguably his best performance on Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, because Kidd didn’t start him at point guard.
The question isn’t how much they miss Kyrie Irving, it’s how much do they miss Luka Doncic. And it’s a lot. Even Kyrie Irving has been at his best in his career when he has a better playmaker on the roster, and he can do what he does best: score. Even if Irving were here, there’s no guarantee this would even be a league-average offense, because the offense has no spacing as it’s designed right now.
I kind of doubt it, unless they were to move Irving as well. Doncic and Irving worked so well together because Doncic was a bigger body and could guard other teams’ power forwards. A backcourt of Morant and Irving probably wouldn’t work well, but that wouldn’t stop Nico Harrison from trying something crazy.
Maybe not being the worst offense in the NBA? Just an idea. But how they go about doing that is beyond me. This team just lacks the natural playmakers and shooters to survive in this era of the NBA.
The vibes around both of these teams are horrendous right now. Between the Ja Morant suspension, Anthony Davis’ calf strain, and the Mavs losing to teams such as the Pelicans and Wizards, I think most Mavs fans want a close loss with Cooper Flagg developing so it gets one step closer to firing Nico Harrison.
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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.
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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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