Masai Ujiri<\/a> was famous for taking in Toronto. Schmitz said they were \u201cthrilled\u201d that he was available. Fans will love Johnson\u2019s work ethic. No, he won\u2019t do anything to create more running lanes for Cooper Flagg. Won\u2019t light it up like Brayden Burries, who went a pick later to Milwaukee.\u00a0<\/p>\nArticle continues below this ad<\/p>\n
But, as ESPN\u2019s Jay Bilas notes, Johnson might be the most versatile defender in the draft. Guards any position while still giving the Mavs a much-needed brute force at the four.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Michigan's]()
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Michigan’s Morez Johnson Jr. dunks during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Tennessee, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo\/Erin Hooley)<\/p>\n
Erin Hooley\/AP<\/p>\n
Of course, he plays the same position that an undersized P.J. Washington assumed last year after Flagg took over at small forward. My guess is Washington, who didn\u2019t mind accommodating Flagg, wouldn\u2019t be so deferential with Johnson. He\u2019s also making $22 million a year through 2030, a significant consideration in roster construction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ujiri currently has 11 players under contract through next season, but how many will still be on the roster when it starts? Flagg, Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II, for sure. Probably Max Christie, the best shooter among the non-starters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone else in last year\u2019s rotation \u2013 Washington, Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin \u2013 should stay close to their phones.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019ll all be traded. Maybe not even most. But if it does, indeed, end up as a housecleaning, there\u2019s your answer about the franchise\u2019s direction. Maybe the way to go, too, what with a 20-year-old budding superstar, an aging point guard and not much in the way of draft picks in the immediate future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ujiri dropped his first clue by hiring a coach with no NBA experience. Suggests a break-in period, to say the least.\u00a0<\/p>\n
May seems to have all the intangibles to make the leap from college to the pros. Ujiri noted an \u201cinnovative\u201d basketball mind. Cited his work with teams that boasted \u201csize, pace, speed and toughness,\u201d a blueprint for today\u2019s NBA, as well as his ability to create a culture, a point Johnson echoed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Direct in his messaging. Holds players accountable. Great at recognizing and developing talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCoach May is going to focus on defense,\u201d Johnson said from draft headquarters, \u201cand bringing defense to the Mavs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Just the same, you have to expect growing pains with any coach making the transition from college to the pros. Can he work well with an unfamiliar staff? Can he grow Flagg\u2019s game within the confines of an 82-game schedule? Can he command an NBA roster like he did in college?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Can he get along with Irving?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Speaking of which, Kyrie\u2019s an easy call to keep. At least until the trade deadline. Ujiri is on record that he wants to see what it looks like with both Flagg and a Hall of Fame point guard on the floor at the same time. Along with Johnson, a healthy Lively and a couple of two-way players who could shoot 3s, May would have the makings of a pretty good core.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If it\u2019s working at the deadline, make a couple of supplemental moves and give it a run.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And if it\u2019s not working, and Kyrie\u2019s playing well, send him out and go full rebuild.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Schmitz may have dodged my question, but he was right about the first step taken. One of the reasons Ujiri had so much success drafting wings in Toronto is because wings like Johnson are virtually foolproof. Pretty much the lifeblood of the world champion Knicks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And if Sergio de Larrea, the 20-year-old Spanish combo guard acquired late Tuesday, could develop into a sidekick for Irving, well, the Mavs will be better than they were Monday. Will they be better come October? No one\u2019s answering that question just yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dallas Mavericks general manager Mike Schmitz addresses reporters after the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349665,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2353,102,104,103,111534,91178,97216],"class_list":["post-349664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-commentary","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-tp-kyrie-irving","tag-tp-cooper-flagg","tag-tp-nba-draft"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}