New Dallas Mavericks team president Masai Ujiri is congratulated after an introductory news conference on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Dallas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
CHICAGO — Rolando Blackman closed his eyes and cracked a smile once NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum revealed that the ninth pick in next month’s draft belonged to his Dallas Mavericks.
The smile wasn’t as wide as when the Mavericks won the No. 1 pick last year, but it was a moment of coincidence: Blackman was also drafted by Dallas with the No. 9 pick in 1981.
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The disappointment was apparent, because the opportunity was there for the Mavericks to pair Rookie of the Year forward Cooper Flagg with another tantalizing prospect such as AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson or Cameron Boozer. However, they dropped from the eighth position to the ninth spot, where they’ll select for the fifth time in franchise history.
RELATED: Which player should Mavs target with NBA draft’s No. 9 pick?
“We wanted No. 1 of course. We wanted the same situation again,” said Blackman, who quickly reminded reporters around him that he was also ninth.
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“I was No. 9. I can’t drag down on the No. 9 pick. We have great talent to choose from out of this draft. The important factor for us, it’s always going to be about being healthy and really having the opportunity for our guys to develop from this year to next year.”
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It was the Washington Wizards who walked away with the No. 1 pick on Sunday.
While Blackman was on stage wearing his tempered emotions on a nationally televised broadcast, another group of team representatives were seated at a table in the crowd. Mavericks CEO Rick Welts, team president Masai Ujiiri, CFO Kieran Kelliher and newly named general manager Mike Schmitz, all wearing an iteration of a blue suit, accepted the results of their fate privately.
Schmitz is just three days into his new role as GM, which is about to kick into high gear now that the Mavericks know they’ll pick ninth on June 23. Despite the slight drop in standings, the 35-year-old Schmitz remains positive that he and the rest of the front office will find the right fit for the team. Dallas also owns the 30th and 48th pick, which could be areas where Schmitz flexes his muscles as a well-respected talent evaluator.
“Just excited for the opportunity, to be honest,” Schmitz said. “You look at every year at redrafts and there’s always a thinking of consensus, but the reality is there are players who end up being All-Star caliber guys or even better that don’t go in the top two, three, four, five. I feel really confident that we’re going to get a high-level player at nine and excited to get the process going.”
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The Mavericks are in need of an additional playmaker, particularly a guard who can alleviate the ball-handling responsibilities for Flagg and Kyrie Irving. There are several prospects of quality who could be available by the time the Mavericks are on the clock, including Mikel Brown Jr., Brayden Burries, Labaron Philon and Kingston Flemings, if he drops far enough.
Schmitz would not reveal what type of player the Mavericks will look for over the next few days when the NBA draft combine begins Monday, but intimated there are several prospects who will be evaluated, interviewed and eventually flown to Dallas for pre-draft workouts.
“I don’t think [there’s] any position narrowed down right now,” Schmitz said. “I think we’re looking for someone who can fit our culture and have an impact at a high level for many years to come and I think that’s the beauty of this class. It’s very deep. There’s a wide variety of players at different positions that bring different skill sets and we’re going to bring those guys in and really vet the market and get a really good player at that number.”
Dallas selected a point guard the last time they had the No. 9 pick when they drafted Dennis Smith Jr. in 2017. Blackman was one of the franchise’s best No. 9 picks in its history, a career that resulted in four All-Star appearances in 11 seasons with the Mavericks, averaging 19.2 points per game. The Mavs also landed franchise icon Dirk Nowitzki at No. 9, though he was technically selected by Milwaukee and acquired by Dallas through a draft night trade.
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Speaking of the No. 9 pick, the last time Ujiri was the lead executive of a team was last May, when Toronto fell from the sixth pick to the ninth pick. Ujiri was brief with his reaction regarding the lottery, deferring to Schmitz, his first official hire as president of basketball operations.
“We’ll take nine,” Ujiri said. “We’re gonna get it. We’ll be fine. It’s one of the deepest drafts in recent years. Honestly, I’m going to leave my comments to that guy over there. This is his time.”
Schmitz spent five years with ESPN as a draft analyst and was briefly interrupted by congratulatory wishes from former ESPN colleagues Jay Williams and Jay Bilas as he fielded questions from reporters. He said with conviction that the Mavericks will be able to find a rotation player with the ninth pick.
“I think we want someone who can bring a variety of different skills and mentality that we’re looking for, but we’re really confident we can get a rotation-level. I think the beauty is in the process. You want to bring guys in. You want to watch your film. You want to gather your intel. We’re going to go through the right process to make the right decision.”
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A drop to ninth isn’t the worst thing in the world. The Mavericks could be in a situation like the Indiana Pacers, who entered the lottery tied for the best odds to win the No. 1 pick. Instead, they dropped to fifth and will convey their pick to the LA Clippers as part of the trade to acquire Ivica Zubac.
After weeks of anticipation, the Mavericks now know exactly where their lottery pick lies.
The real work for Schmitz and Ujiri is about to start.