How did pundits grade the Dallas Mavericks’ picks in the 2026 NBA draft?
The Dallas Mavericks took two players in the first round of the 2026 NBA draft and pulled off a trade with the reigning NBA Champion New York Knicks.
The Mavs’ first selection was Morez Johnson Jr. out of Michigan, an athletic forward who will defend and rebound without needing the ball on offense to find success.
The Mavs executed a trade with the Knicks, giving them their No. 30 selection, Arizona’s Koa Peat, and two first-round picks in exchange for Sergio De Larrea, a sharpshooting playmaker from Spain.
How did sports pundits grade these moves?
Kevin O’Connor,Yahoo Sports
New Mavericks president Masai Ujiri has always loved drafting jumbo-sized forwards, which must’ve been part of the appeal in joining a franchise that’s headlined by Cooper Flagg. And that’s the logic here with Johnson. You know the guy on a championship team who never gets enough credit nationally? The one who sets the bone-crushing screen that springs the star, then immediately sprints to the rim for the lob, then turns around and blows up the other team’s pick-and-roll on the other end all in one sequence? That’s Morez Johnson.
After drafting forward Morez Johnson Jr. with the ninth pick, Dallas goes with a guard here after trading with the Knicks to get De Larrea. The Spaniard is a tall, playmaking guard with major feel and a knockdown jumper who thrives within team concepts. He suffered a dislocated shoulder that ended his 2024-25 season and removed him from draft boards, but it ended up a blessing in disguise since he returned with a bigger role and stronger production for a great team in the EuroLeague.
Adam Finkelstein, CBS Sports
New Mavs coach Dusty May brings in a Michigan player to Dallas. Morez Johnson was one of the biggest winners of the combine, measuring bigger than expected with massive length, well-rounded athleticism, and simultaneously reaffirming the shooting gains we saw this year. Johnson is long and powerful with an NBA-ready body and rugged physicality to match. He is a two-way rebounder and a versatile defender who can not only guard ball-screens in multiple ways but also be switchable inside-and-out.
A big guard and advanced passer with excellent perimeter size, de Larrea has the potential to play multiple positions. He has a good feel for the game and ability to navigate and make reads off ball-screens. Dictates his own pace and rarely gets sped up. Made notable strides as a shooter and became a reliable floor-spacer, albeit with a fairly elongated release that is powered primarily through his upper body.
Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report
It’s hard to say Morez Johnson Jr. lacks potential, especially since he might wind up being the best defender in this draft. He looks like a potential game-breaker on that end, offering both chaos creation as a weak-side helper and tremendous switchability. On offense, he plays within his limitations as a hard screener, powerful roller and soft-touch finisher. He’s also flashed hints of having an outside shot, though it’s still a work in progress.
With great size for a point guard and serviceable size for a combo guard, de Larrea’s outlook hinges on his ability to tighten his handle to the point that he’s a viable primary playmaker. Right now, it’s easier to buy him as a connective passer and floor-spacer, which is a helpful support role but not much beyond that.
Sam Vecenie and John Hollinger, The Athletic
Hollinger’s analysis: Surprise! I’m a fan of Johnson but not quite at this level. I think his offensive limitations are a bit much to select him in the top 10 in such a strong draft. He also has some positional questions on this roster since the frontcourt is so loaded already. Shockingly, he goes ahead of his two Michigan teammates (Aday Mara and Lendeborg), both of whom most had rated higher throughout the draft cycle. Obviously, you wonder how much influence newly hired coach (and former Michigan head coach) Dusty May had on all this.
Hollinger’s analysis: I love this pick for Dallas. I had De Larrea in my top 15 and think teams slept on him while he was hugely productive in Spain the past two years. The Mavs gave up two seconds to move up from No. 30 and make sure they got him, which I see as a justifiable investment given the talent cliff that hit basically right after this pick. He’s a Bogdan Bogdanović-type guard with good size who can shoot and pass and should help Cooper Flagg whether he’s on or off the ball.
Kurt Helin, NBC Sports
First, Dallas poaches Michigan’s coach, Dusty May, then they draft one of his star players — that duo just won a national championship. Dallas needs defense along the front line and Johnson, 6’9”, is the best defensive forward in this draft, plus he can play some small-ball five. I thought this was a little high to take Johnson in a deep draft, but he was a flat-out winner in college, and May clearly believes he can bring that to the next level. De Larrea is considered the best young player in the Spanish ABC league, he’s got a high basketball IQ and he has great skills. It’s a big jump to the NBA, but the Mavericks might have a steal here.
Matthew Winick, The Score
It’s very telling that new Mavericks head coach Dusty May had the choice of all three potential lottery selections that he coached at Michigan, and he chose Johnson - arguably the lowest-ranked prospect of the three. Though Johnson was the least productive in college, his tremendous athletic tools, multi-positional defensive versatility, and blossoming jumper give him the highest NBA upside. May saw Johnson firsthand and clearly believes that his defensive ability and emerging 3-point shot can complement franchise cornerstone Cooper Flagg.
Kevin Sweeney, Sports Illustrated
New Mavericks coach Dusty May is bringing one of the pieces of his national champion Michigan team with him. This is a bit ambitious for my taste, but Johnson drew rave reviews behind the scenes and publicly from May all season for his incredible work ethic, competitiveness and approach … and his stock had risen throughout the predraft process. He has the size to play either power forward or center and should fit nicely with Cooper Flagg in Dallas. It’s just a question of whether his ceiling is high enough to warrant going this high.
De Larrea is an interesting long-term piece for the Mavericks with excellent size and passing ability. The expectation around the NBA has been that De Larrea would remain in Europe as a “stash” and come over later, but this isn’t a throwaway pick for Dallas and De Larrea has a real chance to make an impact when he eventually comes over. Dallas GM Mike Schmitz has deep connections globally, so it’s not surprising that his first draft with the Mavs sees them take a player who has come up the ranks in Europe.
Bryan Kalbrosky, USA Today
Who can fault the Mavericks for going against the grain by selecting Morez Johnson Jr., who played an integral role for Michigan en route to a national championship, with his collegiate head coach Dusty May. Last season, while he wasn’t the star on Michigan, he was essential to help his team win the NCAA championship.
Sergio De Larrea could serve as a draft-and-stash prospect for the Mavericks, who traded for this pick from the New York Knicks. The Spanish wing, who is still playing in the postseason in Spain, is a very strong shooter who is currently playing well overseas. It’s unclear when he would actually come to play in the United States but this is still a very good player to have the rights to for the Mavericks.
