Dallas marked the start of World Cup festivities Thursday night with the launch of a new “Summer of Soccer” light series at Reunion Tower. The landmark will illuminate nightly throughout the tournament, displaying FIFA graphics and, on match days, the flags of competing nations.

We are less than two weeks away from the 2026 NBA Draft, and the Dallas Mavericks are aware of just how vital this draft is for the future of the franchise. They want to build the team around Cooper Flagg, who had a sensational rookie year, and this is their best chance to do so.

They sit with the 9th, 30th, and 48th overall picks, the last two coming in via the Anthony Davis trade they made in February. This gives them multiple swings to build around Flagg.

However, the Mavericks may not be set on picking 9th. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, “Sources say that the Mavericks, however, have told rival teams that they are very much open for trades in either direction with their No. 9 pick.”

With how deep and talented this draft class is, it shouldn’t be that surprising that they’d be willing to move in either direction. If the right player starts falling down the board, they can jump up a few spots to secure him. Or, if there are multiple good players on the board, and there will be, there will be the option to trade down and accumulate more picks while still getting a good player.

Draft Trade Options for the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks will have plenty of options for trades in a few weeks, whether they move up or down, or they use their financial flexibility to take on bad contracts and add more picks. That might be the best option to explore, as they have a $20.8 million trade exception and a $6 million exception that expire in February.

They could use those exceptions to take on a larger, bloated salary and add a draft pick or two. They need as much future draft capital as they can possibly get, and if teams are willing to give up any picks in this loaded draft class, even better. A lot of teams are looking to duck under the tax aprons because the penalties are too harsh, so the Mavs can be a facilitator of some of that desperation around the NBA.

Teams like the OKC Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers are teams looking to shed future money, so they could be an option for that.

They could also look to trade back and take a player like Labaron Philon near the end of the lottery. The Thunder and Hornets have multiple first-round picks and could look to target a forward or center like Aday Mara or Yaxel Lendeborg.

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