Masai Ujiri's Cooper Flagg plan faces a draft problem most rebuilds don't have

As the Dallas Mavericks look to build a contender around Cooper Flagg, new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri understands that they can't build around him the way most rebuilding teams do. His plan as he begins his journey in Dallas is to put the right pieces around Flagg, but it's going to look a bit different.

Many young teams heavily utilize the draft to bring in young players to complement their franchise cornerstone. Most of these teams have control of their future first-round picks, giving them the chance to take things slow, rebuild through the draft, and bring in players who are on the same timeline as their young star. Winning isn't a necessity right away, and many young teams even tank to maximize their lottery odds.

The Spurs are a great example of how to build through the draft

Just look at what the San Antonio Spurs did with Victor Wembanyama. They drafted Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper with the No. 4 and No. 2 overall picks, respectively. Now, they're one of the best teams in the Western Conference and just made the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

The Spurs drafted five of their six top points-per-game scorers from last season with the only outlier being De'Aaron Fox. Their roster is special, and a big reason that they had such a successful season last year was due to the players that they drafted to play next to Wemby.

Unfortunately for the Mavs, they don't have full control of their future first-round picks. They can't build around Coop the way the Spurs built around Wembanyama or how Oklahoma City built around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Dallas will have to build around Cooper Flagg a different way

Dallas doesn't own a first-round pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, and their picks in the following two years are both tied up in pick swaps. The Mavericks will make a selection in the first round in each of those years, but it'll likely be near the end.

Dallas' lack of draft capital creates a problem for Ujiri, as one of the most reliable ways to bring in a young co-star for Flagg is off the table. The Mavericks will have to hope they get lucky later in the draft, trade up to draft a player they really like, or trade for or sign Flagg's running mate.

Masai Ujiri knows the Mavericks can't tank

This is not ideal or customary for a young team, but Ujiri understands the position that he's in as he looks to help get the Mavs back to the playoffs. Ujiri was on a recent episode of "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective," and he talked about the position Dallas is in as he enters this new era of his career.

"We have to play good basketball...It's not like we have our picks," Ujiri said.

Ujiri knows tanking is off the table. Not only are the lottery odds flattened now, but the Mavericks don't own their picks to begin with. Dallas had a productive summer of strengthening their young core, as they drafted Sergio De Larrea and Morez Johnson Jr. in the first round while trading for Zaccharie Risacher, but this isn't something they'll be able to do every year.

Dallas has to play "good basketball," as he said. They need to do whatever they can to field the best team possible and make a run for the playoffs rather than depending on the draft.

This doesn't mean that they're going to rush and not prioritize the development of young players, but it does mean they can't use the draft as aggressively as many teams do without making trades. The Mavs don't have the draft capital to build around Flagg through the draft every year, so Ujiri will have to get creative to build a contender.

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