Grizzlies' home-run Cameron Boozer pick exposes exactly where Mavericks went wrong

The Memphis Grizzlies made a home-run pick by selecting Duke's Cameron Boozer with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday night. Boozer enters the NBA after averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from downtown, and there's a real case that he was the best player in college basketball last season.

The Mavericks didn't lean into the tank like Memphis

Boozer falling to third is a serious steal for the Grizzlies, a division rival of the Dallas Mavericks, and Dallas could've paired the former Blue Devil with Cooper Flagg if they had embraced their tank earlier. This pick alone exposes where Dallas went wrong last season.

The Mavericks' focus shifted to the future the second that they traded Anthony Davis and shut down Kyrie Irving for the season as he recovers from a torn ACL, but their on-court play didn't reflect a real focus on the future. Dallas won three of their final nine games, and this was the last thing they needed ahead of this summer's draft. The 2026 draft class is stacked, and jumping into the top four has the chance to be franchise-altering.

Dallas didn't tank nearly hard enough, and despite finishing with a 26-56 record, they had the eighth-best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick. This resulted in them landing the No. 9 pick in one of the most crucial drafts in franchise history, while Memphis jumped into the top four despite only losing one more game than the Mavs.

The Grizzlies took their tank extremely seriously, losing 21 of their final 23 games. They trotted out a starting lineup that consisted of players on two-way and 10-day contracts to end the season, and them prioritizing their future this much helped them secure better odds to secure a top-four pick. As controversial as it is, Memphis' losing paid off.

Instead of entering full tank mode, the Mavericks were pushing for some victories in April. While this may not have seemed like a big deal at the time, Dallas paid for it later by falling in the draft order.

Dallas wasted the perfect chance to prioritize lottery standings

This was the final year that the Mavericks could've tanked, as the NBA is cracking down on this beginning next year with the flattened lottery odds, and the time couldn't have been more perfect. Dallas doesn't fully control their own first-round pick after this year until 2031, and this was their one chance to prioritize lottery standings with the hope that they secure a favorable pick to draft a co-star for Flagg.

Boozer would've been perfect for Dallas, as his inside scoring, passing, and ability as an offensive hub would've made him an ideal fit. The Mavericks desperately need more reliability in their frontcourt, and Boozer's deep desire for winning, combined with his elite basketball IQ, will help him dominate at the NBA level. He has the highest floor of the top prospects in this year's draft, and the Mavericks could've had a prospect of his caliber if they had embraced the tank.

They just didn't.

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