Fresh Mavericks rumor casts doubt on draft pick that once seemed certain

The Dallas Mavericks are open to trading up or down in the 2026 NBA Draft, according to a recent rumor, which means that the rumors of Brayden Burries coming to Dallas with the No. 9 pick are not set in stone. Burries seems like a lock to fall to the ninth pick, and following the rumors of him potentially forcing his way to the Mavs, many fans believed that this would certainly be Dallas' pick.

Seemingly every mock draft has him going to the Mavericks ninth as well, adding even more fuel to the fire.

The Mavericks need shooting and perimeter defense badly, making Burries' fit into the backcourt seamless. He would have the chance to start alongside Kyrie Irving before eventually taking over as the team's full-time point guard, but fans need to pump the brakes on the Burries-to-Dallas buzz.

Trading back makes sense for Dallas

While early rumors indicated real buzz coming from both the Mavericks and Burries' side, Dallas has plenty of different options that they can consider. Mike Schmitz and Masai Ujiri are going to do whatever it takes to ensure that Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks are in a position to compete in the future, and if that means trading back to acquire additional assets and taking a lower-tier prospect, they'll consider this possibility.

Such a scenario likely means that Burries gets selected before the Mavericks are even on the clock, wiping away their chance to take the former Arizona Wildcat. This situation would crush some fans, as Burries would fill multiple areas of need in Dallas, but this year's draft class is far deeper than years past. The Mavs could draft a future star outside of the top 10 if the right player falls, and they're not obligated to draft Burries by any means.

The Mavericks could shock everyone and trade up

Conversely, the Mavericks could elect to trade up as well. Not many fans expected this to be a possibility since they don't have much draft capital to trade, but Dallas isn't ruling out anything.

There are several elite-tier guards at the top of the draft, such as Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr., and Darius Acuff Jr., and Dallas may look to move up if one of these guys falls further than expected. The 2026 NBA Draft is extremely crucial for Dallas, as they don't fully control their own first-round pick after this year until 2031. This is their one chance to find Flagg's co-star, and moving up in the draft to ensure that they land their guy wouldn't be a bad idea.

Dallas did this in 2018 when they drafted Luka Doncic with the No. 3 overall pick, and look where it got them. Fans should have immense trust in Ujiri and Schmitz to make the right decision here, and they aren't tied down to any one scenario.

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