{"id":257925,"date":"2026-04-20T14:05:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/257925\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T14:05:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:05:27","slug":"what-happens-if-dallas-jumps-to-4th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/257925\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happens if Dallas Jumps to 4th?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are less than three weeks away from the NBA Draft Lottery, which will decide where the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> land in the draft. Tonight, the NBA will have a coin flip to decide their odds for the lottery to break a tie with the New Orleans Pelicans, but until the ping pong balls bounce, anything is up in the air. <\/p>\n

For every Monday from now until the Draft, I’ll run a new mock draft to discuss different options for the Mavs, including possible trade options. The 2026 Draft is a loaded one from top to bottom, projecting to be one of the best draft classes in recent memory. It’s also the last year that the Mavericks control their first-round pick until 2031, so they have to get this class right. <\/p>\n

Until we have an actual draft order, we’ll use FanSpo’s lottery simulator and draft simulator to determine the order. In this simulation, the Mavs jumped up to the fourth overall pick. Here was the full lottery order, with how much each team jumped\/fell. <\/p>\n

1. Brooklyn Nets (+2)
2. Memphis Grizzlies (+4)
3. Indiana Pacers (-1)
4. Dallas Mavericks (+4)
5. Washington Wizards (-4)
6. Utah Jazz (-2)
7. Sacramento Kings (-2)
8. Atlanta Hawks, via New Orleans Pelicans (-1)
9. Chicago Bulls
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Miami Heat
14. Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n

Here are the picks I made for the Mavericks. <\/p>\n

4th Overall: Caleb Wilson, Forward\/Center, North Carolina\"North<\/p>\n

Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) on the court in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Mavericks desperately need backcourt help while also opening the floor for Cooper Flagg. If they can’t shoot, it’ll be tough to consider them. Not jumping into the top two for Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa makes things tricky for the Mavs in a jump-up scenario. <\/p>\n

In an ideal world, a trade back would be huge. In this instance, Cameron Boozer went third to the Pacers, so it was tough to find a trade partner. Washington at 5th has Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr, Utah at 6 has Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler, and Sacramento at 7 has Domantas Sabonis (for now) and Maxime Reynaud. Atlanta could be an option, but they seem like a guard-hungry team. <\/p>\n

Chicago could be an option, depending on who they hire as general manager, but that would be trading back to 9th, and that seems too far to fall unless the Bulls are willing to give up Matas Buzelis in a trade up. <\/p>\n

So, that leaves the option of reaching for a guard (Kingston Flemings or Keaton Wagler feel like good fits) or taking the best player on the board and figuring out the fit later. I took the best player, which is Caleb Wilson, by a wide stretch, assuming the medicals on his hand check out. <\/p>\n

Wilson is my third-ranked player in this class. I am not a believer in Cam Boozer’s abilities translating to the NBA, while Wilson looks like a prototypical frontcourt player. If the jumper develops, which I’m a little doubtful about, he could be a terrorizing power forward. He does have a decent mid-range game, but I think he’s elite from about 8 feet and in, mostly because of his athleticism. <\/p>\n

That might make him a better center early in his career, which I think he can be great at right away, and he can grow into being a power forward as time goes on and the jumpshot develops. Even if he’s a center early in his career, the Mavericks need some insurance for Dereck Lively II, and this could allow them to explore options for trading Daniel Gafford to clear future salary. <\/p>\n

30th Overall (via OKC Thunder): Ebuka Okorie, Guard, Stanford\"Stanford<\/p>\n

Mar 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) with the ball in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

With the Mavericks going frontcourt in the lottery, they basically have to go backcourt with their second first-round pick, which comes in from the Anthony Davis trade. Arkansas’s Meleek Thomas went off the board a few picks before this, which also would’ve been an interesting fit, but I’m a big fan of Ebuka Okorie’s game. I’d even be a little surprised if he’s on the board this late. <\/p>\n

Okorie averaged 23.2 PPG, 3.2 APG, and 3.2 RPG as a freshman at Stanford, shooting 46.5% from the floor and 35.4% from three. He’s on the smaller side, listed at 6’2″, 185 pounds, but he has the quickness to help make up for that. <\/p>\n

His profile doesn’t suggest an elite long-term guard in the NBA, but he can be a solid backup. The Mavericks need to improve their backcourt one way or another. <\/p>\n

47th Overall (via Phoenix Suns): Sergio De Larrea, Guard, Spain<\/p>\n

FanSpo’s big board needs a little updating, because players like Flory Bidunga, Juke Harris, Alex Condon, Cayden Boozer, and Andrej Stojakovic, who all went around this range or were the top-ranked players available, all went back to school. That made the options a little interesting in the middle of the second round. <\/p>\n

One name that stood out was Sergio de Larrea, a 6’6″ lead guard playing for Valencia in Spain. He’s averaging 9.3 PPG and 3.6 APG on good efficiency. The three-point shot isn’t as developed as his 42.9% might suggest, and he’s not the best athlete, but he has potential. <\/p>\n

Selecting him could give the Mavericks the option of stashing him overseason for another season while he develops, but they need to upgrade this backcourt for the future. <\/p>\n

Sign up to our free newsletter<\/a> and follow us on X<\/a> for the latest news.<\/p>\n

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