FILE – NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum announces that the Mavericks had been awarded the fifth overall pick during the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
While eight teams vie for the opportunity to advance to the conference finals of this year’s postseason, others will descend upon the Windy City this weekend for the NBA Draft Lottery and combine.
The final draft order will be finalized Sunday at 2 p.m. in Chicago, followed by a full week of evaluation during the annual combine at Wintrust Center. Executives from across the league will get an up-close look at this year’s prospects ahead of next month’s NBA draft.
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The Mavericks will repeat their lottery strategy from a year ago, sending former star Rolando Blackman to represent the franchise onstage and assistant general manager Matt Riccardi to be their behind-the-scenes representative in the drawing room. It’s likely Dallas will remain at No. 8 or drop to No. 9, but last year’s draft lottery proved anything is possible.
Dallas could make another jump to No. 1 take an unlucky slide to No. 11. Before last year, the Mavericks had never moved up in 17 trips to the lottery.
Here are five random spins on Tankathon.com to simulate how the Mavericks’ fate could play out Sunday:
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Lottery simulation No. 1
2026 NBA Draft Lottery Spin No. 1
SportsDay Staff
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13. Oklahoma City via LA Clippers
What this means for the Mavericks: This is the second-worst outcome for the Mavericks in this series of simulations, leaving them on the outside of the best two tiers in the draft.
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Not only would they miss out on the four best prospects in the class, the second tier of elite guards could likely be off the board as well. Darius Acuff Jr., Mikel Brown Jr., Kingston Flemings and Keaton Wagler are four prospects who would be ideal long-term fits next to Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks are in need of an additional playmaker who can score and create offense for teammates, which would alleviate some of the pressure Flagg attracts.
Labaron Philon Jr. is a promising guard who could be available at No. 10. Kyrie Irving is expected to be fully healthy by the time the Mavericks open training camp, and he could be the perfect mentor for Philon. The sophomore guard from Alabama entered the 2025 draft class but returned to the Crimson Tide for a second season. His development led to improvement as a shot creator, which would bode well in an offense with Flagg, Max Christie and the rest of the Mavericks’ veterans.
But Dallas enters Sunday’s lottery with a better chance to leap into the top four (29%) than to drop to No. 10 or 11.
Notable: In this scenario, Chicago leapt eight spots to claim the No. 1 pick. Miami’s jump to No. 2 was perhaps even more impressive considering they enter the lottery slotted at No. 13. Can you picture BYU forward AJ Dybantsa as the next franchise face of the Bulls? Or perhaps Kansas guard Darryn Peterson with the Heat, as the young co-star to Bam Adebayo?
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Lottery simulation No. 2
2026 NBA Draft Lottery Spin No. 2
SportsDay Staff
7. Atlanta via New Orleans
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What this means for the Mavericks: They stood pat at No. 8, which is still a good position in a really good draft that gives them the chance to select a skilled guard to pair with Flagg, such as Mikel Brown Jr. out of Louisville.
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Dallas desperately needs more 3-point shooting. It’s obvious that relying on Max Christie and Klay Thompson, who may or may not return, as the primary volume perimeter shooters will not be enough to make the Mavericks more formidable. Irving helps significantly in that area, but adding a superior shooter such as Brown would pay dividends, probably sooner than expected.
The primary knock on Brown is his health, because he missed large portions of his freshman season with a back injury. Still, he’s projected to be a top-10 pick in most national mock drafts.
Notable: Everything was chalk in this scenario until Memphis, initially at No. 6, jumped four spots to the second pick in this year’s draft. The last time the Grizzlies had the second pick, in 2019, they chose Ja Morant, whose future with the franchise remains cloudy. Peterson could be the most logical replacement as they enter a rebuild.
Lottery simulation No. 3
2026 NBA Draft Lottery Spin No. 3
SportsDay Staff
10. Milwaukee via New Orleans
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11. Dallas (dropped three)
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What this means for the Mavericks: It happened: the absolute worst outcome. The Mavericks could stand pat and take the best player available, but if the crop of elite guards is off the table, new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and the general manager he hired Friday, Mike Schmitz, could consider a different position.
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg is a versatile forward who could be ready to play right away, since he’ll enter the NBA at the age of 23. He’s coming off a national championship with the Wolverines and has the experience to help his development.
Even if the Mavericks aren’t interested in the players available at No. 11, they could pursue a trade. This would involve some creativity on the part of Ujiri, who would need to find a partner willing to move up in the draft.
The ideal package for Dallas would include a veteran guard who can help in the playmaking category or a big man who can stretch the floor. The best trade would allow the Mavericks to remain in the first round of the draft and perhaps replenish future draft compensation the team lost while trying to build around Luka Doncic.
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Notable: Milwaukee and Golden State each jumped nine spots to the first and second picks, respectively. The Bucks would convey that pick to the Atlanta Hawks, who will receive the better of Milwaukee or New Orleans’ picks. That would mean the Hawks get to choose between Dybantsa, Peterson and Duke’s Cameron Boozer. And Golden State could try to make the most of Stephen Curry’s twilight years with the addition of a potential superstar.
Lottery simulation No. 4
2026 NBA Draft Lottery Spin No. 4
SportsDay Staff
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4. Dallas (moved up four)
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What this means for the Mavericks: The Mavericks benefited from another dose of lottery luck. They would be in a position to draft whoever remains from the group of four elite prospects.
For the sake of conversation, and maybe even debate, let’s say Peterson slipped to fourth. The elite combo guard has all of the tools to go No. 1 because of his unique blend of dynamic shooting and playmaking. He’s a guard who could play alongside Irving, especially as the nine-time All-Star enters his 16th NBA season. Irving could play away from the ball as he eases back into form from his torn ACL.
Peterson would also give Flagg the perfect running mate to compete in the Southwest Division against the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.
Notable: Indiana lands the No. 1 pick for the first time in franchise history. That could lead to more wins for former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, who just passed 1,000 career wins this season.
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Lottery simulation No. 5
2026 NBA Draft Lottery Spin No. 5
SportsDay Staff
1. Atlanta via New Orleans
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4. Dallas (moved up four)
What this means for the Mavericks: Two spins in a row have Dallas jumping to fourth? Some would call that a good omen.
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Let’s say Dybantsa, Peterson and Boozer are off the board in this scenario. That could lead Ujiri and company to draft Caleb Wilson, the freshman forward who shined before a hand injury ended his lone season at North Carolina. The 6-10 wing averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 58% from the field.
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The Mavericks have a crowded group of wings with Flagg, PJ Washington Jr., Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin, but Wilson would be a positive addition because of his explosiveness and athleticism, which the team lacked before Flagg’s arrival. His biggest area of growth remains the ability to consistently knock down 3s, making just 25.9% from the arc last season.
Or, rather than go with the best player available at No. 4, the Mavericks could shake up the draft board and select one of the elite guards to fill their need at the position.
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Notable: Atlanta won the lottery for the second time in this series of simulations, and Dallas rose four positions yet again, but Washington plummeted four spots. Utah and Sacramento fell two spots each. The anti-tanking crowd wins again.