These first-round pick combinations can take Mavericks to the next level

Less than two years after Nico Harrison dropped a nuke on the Dallas Mavericks organization, things are looking up in the heart of Texas. The Cooper Flagg sweepstakes was an immediate course correction. Hiring Masai Ujiri (and now Mike Schmitz) to helm basketball operations is further confirmation that Dallas is on the right track.

With two first-round picks — Nos. 9 and 30 — in the upcoming NBA Draft, Dallas now has an opportunity to capitalize on a loaded prospect class. The Mavs will look to supplement a promising young core while also welcoming back Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively from major injuries. Don’t be shocked if the Mavs are competing in a real way sooner than later, especially with Jason Kidd no longer on the sidelines. Here are a few potential pick combos worth targeting.

Aday Mara (No. 9) and Sergio de Larrea (No. 30)

The best process in the NBA Draft, almost always, is selecting the best player available. For my money, Aday Mara will be the best player available if he’s there at No. 9. And, given Schmitz’s recent track record, it feels like Dallas would genuinely consider him. The Blazers took Yang Hansen, a skilled, high-feel center, at No. 16 last year despite already rostering Donovan Clingan.

Lively is an incredible defensive talent and a surefire starter long term. Mara would come off the bench to start his career as a result, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing: Mara’s biggest question mark is durability; he couldn’t always handle starting minutes for Michigan, despite his pronounced defensive impact. Unleashing him in concentrated 15- or 20-minute doses could prove to be the optimal setup early on.

Mara is a special, special rim protector, with a historic 9-foot-9 standing reach and razor-sharp instincts on the back line. He’s also a phenomenal passer, able to read the court from a skyscraper’s vantage point and rifle pinpoint dimes to every corner. He needs to cut down on turnovers and improve his overall physicality as a scorer, but Mara’s interior touch and connective passing could be quite fun in tandem with Flagg and Irving.

At No. 30, why not target his fellow countryman from Spain, Sergio de Larrea? After an incredibly productive season with Valencia, a top Euroleague team, de Larrea kept his name in the 2026 draft. He measured extremely well at 6-foot-6 barefoot and 204 pounds with a 6-foot-9 wingspan. His incredible processing and vision as a playmaker, at that size, with his shooting touch, projects well for success in the NBA.

There’s every reason to believe de Larrea can grease the wheels on Dallas’ offense, providing valuable supplementary passing and shot-making next to Flagg and Irving in the backcourt, with Lively as a lob threat or Mara as a DHO partner in the frontcourt.

Keaton Wagler (No. 9) and Zuby Ejiofor (No. 30)

Keaton Wagler at one point felt like a near-certainty to come off the board prior to Dallas at No. 9, but the tides are shifting. Wagler will still be under heavy consideration as high as L.A. at No. 5, but recent momentum behind Mikel Brown Jr. and Darius Acuff Jr. could send him tumbling into the Mavericks’ lap.

The No. 11 prospect on FanSided’s big board, Wagler is not without his shortcomings as a prospect. His limited strength and burst made it extremely difficult to carve out quality looks on the interior; Wagler’s rim finishing numbers were subpar and he’s prone to getting stonewalled on drives, even by run-of-the-mill college defenders.

Those confident in Wagler’s NBA projection point to his advanced feel, poise and craft. He handles pressure well and does not commit careless turnovers. He’s scalable on or off the ball, with electric 3-point shooting that ought to pair well with Flagg. At 6-foot-5, Wagler also has the positional size to share a backcourt with Irving, in theory, anyway.

If Wagler’s interior scoring and defense prove to be liabilities early in his career, then the perfect first-round complement might be St. John’s senior Zuby Ejiofor. While he’s undersized for a center and limited as a shooter, Ejiofor has a massive 7-foot-2 wingspan and he’s built like a tank, with the unique athleticism necessary to defend one-through-five and punish mismatches on the offensive end.

Ejiofor was a genuine offensive hub at St. John’s. He can facilitate on the short roll, attack slow-footed bigs from the perimeter and create out of the post against ill-equipped forwards. His physicality, IQ and nonstop determination bode well for Ejiofor at the next level. He’s the sort of game-wrecking force of nature that could help counterbalance Wagler’s more finesse traits.

Brayden Burries (No. 9) and Koa Peat (No. 30)

Brayden Burries is the overwhelming favorite to land in Dallas at No. 9, so it would feel disingenuous to leave him out of this article. While Burries will need to answer questions about his offensive ceiling, he was the best player on a dominant Arizona team as a freshman. He’s a proficient spot-up shooter with the strength and functional handle necessary to absorb contact and score on drives to the cup.

With Flagg and Irving already in place as primary engines, Dallas wouldn’t need Burries to come in and generate much offense. He can connect dots, attack a defense in rotation and make the hustle plays that made him such a special college player. Burries’ muscular tenacity on the defensive end aligns neatly with Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, Cason Wallace and other guards who elevated their profile in these NBA playoffs.

The Mavs could get the opportunity to add Burries’ own teammate at Arizona, Koa Peat, to round out the first round. While recent projections project Peat more toward the low-20s, with Philadelphia a popular landing spot these days, concerns over his poor jump shooting and lack of a defined defensive role could leave him on the board for Dallas.

Peat is a tough evaluation. He’s a non-shooter, point blank, at 6-foot-8. He doesn’t really protect the rim either, and he lacks the lateral agility to contain more quick-footed players on the perimeter. Then again, he’s a pure intangibles guy — a lovable, hard-nosed player with a frame carved from marble and an appetite for dirty work. Peat moves and cuts like a 10-year pro, with strong connective instincts on offense. He will hammer the glass and apply his physicality liberally on defense.

A bonafide winner both in high school and at the college level, Peat is easy to believe in, even with all the complications inherent to his unique profile. If Dallas wants built-in continuity between two extremely competitive individuals, Burries and Peat would be a compelling haul.

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