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
Proposed Cowboys Signing of 2-Time Pro Bowl EDGE Would Be Risky Bet on Major Problem
If the Dallas Cowboys want to improve their defense in 2026, they simply cannot miss on whoever it is they bring in to play opposite Rashan Gary along the edge.
Gary in and of himself is a question mark after having a lackluster second half of last season, which is likely why the Green Bay Packers were interested in trading him in the first place.
If Gary disappoints again and the Cowboys fail to adequately put a player or players in place to cover for that, Dallas will be right back to square one, when they finished tied for the seventh-fewest sacks in the NFL last season.
Analyst proposes Haason Reddick signing
In an article suggesting landing spots for the best remaining free agents, Pro Football and Sports Network’s Alex Kennedy linked Dallas to former Tampa Bay Buccaneers edge rusher, Haason Reddick.
“Coming off of two disappointing seasons in a row, it’s unlikely that Reddick can return to the Pro Bowl form that turned heads in Philadelphia,” he said. “That said, among the 123 edge rushers qualified for EDGEi scoring last season, he still ended the year above average, ranking No. 36 overall.”
Reddick appeared in 13 games last season and posted just 2.5 sacks while adding 34 pressures. He finished with Pro Football Focus grades of 60.1 in the pass-rush and 45.2 in run defense.
A risk the Cowboys shouldn’t take
Kennedy spells out exactly why the Cowboys shouldn’t rely on the two-time Pro Bowler. There was a time when Reddick was as consistent as they come, but those days are likely over.
After posting four double-digit sack seasons in a row, Reddick has just 3.5 the past two seasons, including one sack in 2024 and 2.5 in 2025. He missed four contests in 2025 with knee and ankle injuries.
Set to turn 32 in September, chances are a rebound isn’t coming and Reddick’s best days are behind him. The only real positive is Reddick would come cheap on a one-year deal, but not even that should be enough for the Cowboys to take a swing on him unless Dallas finds itself in the most desperate of situations.
What the Cowboys should do
We’d much rather see the Cowboys opt for players who have shown signs of life in recent years, even aging stars like Cam Jordan and Von Miller, who posted 10.5 and nine sacks, respectively, last season.
Then, there’s Jadeveon Clowney, who the Cowboys seem to think isn’t a fit in Christian Parker’s defense. However, Clowney doesn’t agree and as we’ve explained, the former No. 1 overall pick does have experience playing in the kind of scheme Parker deploys.
“It’s interesting to hear that a shift to 3-4 principles could be the reason Clowney doesn’t return to Dallas. While he did excel in a four-man front during the 2025 season, Clowney has spent more of his career in a 3-4 front than any other,” our own Randy Gurzi explained last month.
“He spent five seasons in Houston, playing in the 3-4 with the Texans and one with the Baltimore Ravens. He also had some time in a hybrid system, including one year with the Tennessee Titans and one with the Carolina Panthers,” Gurzi added.
Of course, we’d prefer a blockbuster addition like Maxx Crosby, for example, but that kind of move just doesn’t seem to be in the cards right now.
Along with an EDGE pick on Day 1 or 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, we’d feel good about the Cowboys’ edge rusher situation if they can also sign any one of Clowney, Miller or Jordan.
— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —
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.
You can listen to our latest podcast episode in the player embedded below, and to make sure you don’t miss a single one moving forward, subscribe to the Pod Maverick podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, Pocketcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, and most other places. If you use a feed not listed, let Kirk know.
You can check out our After Dark Recap podcasts, YouTube Live recordings, and guest shows on the Pod Maverick Podcast feed. Please subscribe, rate, and review.
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.”
-
Los Angeles, Ca18 minutes ago‘What’s going on with our society?’ Elderly L.A. street vendor violently beaten
-
Detroit, MI38 minutes agoTrailblaze Detroit: Blazing New Trails while Backpacking Metro Detroit | Visit Detroit | Visit Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA48 minutes agoGiants open to moving big names before Trade Deadline
-
Dallas, TX53 minutes agoReports: Mavericks acquire Sergio De Larrea in four-team Draft night trade
-
Miami, FL1 hour agoMiami Gardens police make arrest in cold case murder from 2019
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoWoman killed in Mattapan carjacking crash honored at vigil
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoNuggets trade 26th pick in NBA Draft to Spurs, moving out of first round
-
Seattle, WA1 hour agoNBA Commissioner says Las Vegas, Seattle remain expansion targets for 2028-29 season
