Dusty May hiring should lead the Mavericks to this ideal target in the NBA Draft

With the NBA Draft only one day away, the Dallas Mavericks made a big splash by hiring Michigan's Dusty May as their head coach this morning, coming fresh off of leading the Wolverines to the National Championship. After landing their coach, it makes even more sense for Dallas to draft one of May's former players from Michigan, and someone rumored to be in the Mavs draft range, Morez Johnson Jr., makes perfect sense for them.

Marc Stein recently reported that the Mavericks and Thunder have discussed a trade for draft night (subscription required), which would result in the Mavs giving the No. 9 overall pick to OKC for picks No. 12 and 17 in the first round. This trade-back scenario has been a huge topic of debate amongst the Mavs community over the last few weeks, and it only intensified after the May hire.

If Dallas is able to pull this trade off and land multiple picks in the top 20, Morez Johnson Jr. would be great value at No. 12, or even better, at No. 17.

Morez Johnson Jr. makes the most sense of the 3 Michigan prospects

The Michigan Wolverines have three potential lottery picks in this upcoming draft with Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr., and Yaxel Lendeborg, with many believing Mara could go as high as No. 8 to the Atlanta Hawks. Even with all three prospects being good potential fits in Dallas, Morez Johnson Jr. would be the best fit amongst all of them, given his age, versatility, and playstyle.

Of all the three players mentioned, Johnson Jr. is the youngest at 20 years old, just finishing his sophomore campaign. In comparison, Aday Mara is a year older at 21 after completing his junior year, and Lendeborg, a senior last season, will already be 24 years old by the time the 2026-27 season starts. Youth should be a big priority for the Mavericks as they try to build around 19-year-old Cooper Flagg, and Johnson Jr. helps them achieve that goal.

Johnson Jr. is the exact type of player Ujiri wants around Flagg

When Masai Ujiri spoke at his press conference following his hire as the new president of basketball operations for the Mavericks, he listed athleticism as a key attribute he wants in players when building this roster around Flagg. Morez fits that bill to a tee as he's arguably one of the most athletic big men in this entire class. Having an athletic frontcourt of Flagg, Johnson Jr., and hopefully a healthy Dereck Lively II would be scary for opposing teams.

Not only does Morez Johnson Jr. possess the athleticism that Ujiri is looking for, but he also has the defense, length, and rebounding that Masai has historically targeted in drafts.

Johnson Jr. measures at 6-foot-9, 251 pounds, with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this past season, leading Michigan in rebounding despite playing with a 7-foot-3 center in Aday Mara. These traits are what every winning team needs, and having them for years to come would do wonders for the Mavericks.

There are plenty of great options for the Mavericks in this upcoming draft, and with the team fully buying into building around Cooper Flagg, this draft is that much more important to secure a long-term piece.

If the Mavs stay at No. 9, there could be better options, especially with the cluster of great guards in that range. But if the Mavs end up trading back with the Thunder, Morez Johnson Jr. would be an ideal pick. Especially after his former head coach, Dusty May, who helped develop him into a potential lottery pick, became the team's new head coach.

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