The Dallas Mavericks will find out where they pick in the 2026 NBA Draft tomorrow at the Draft Lottery, and jumping into the top four would give Masai Ujiri a shot at selecting a prospect that he would love alongside Cooper Flagg. Caleb Wilson, out of North Carolina, embodies all of the qualities that Ujiri typically values highly in a player, and he would form one of the most dangerous young wing duos in the NBA with Flagg.
Standing at 6-foot-10 with a wingspan larger than seven feet, Wilson fits right into the archetype that Ujiri likes. He has always been known for prioritizing wings with long wingspans, versatility, the ability to switch on defense, and size, and Wilson brings all of those things.
Caleb Wilson matches Masai Ujiri's draft blueprint
As president of the Toronto Raptors, Ujiri drafted OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, and Collin Murray-Boyles. All of these players share the aforementioned qualities, and it wouldn't be a shock if Ujiri targets Wilson (if Dallas jumps into the top four) to form the type of frontcourt tandem that looks like it was made in a lab.
Wilson can easily defend all five positions, and his motor makes him the same type of freak defender as Flagg. Both players love locking their opponents down, and he creates havoc on that end of the floor. Wilson can defend guards on the perimeter or forwards inside, making him a jack of all trades on defense.
Like Flagg, he's a menace off the ball. He's an elite help-side rim protector who uses his wingspan to disrupt plays all over the floor, and his defensive ceiling could be what has Ujiri targeting him if Dallas jumps into that coveted top four of the draft.
Ujiri wanted Flagg so badly last year when he was with the Raptors that he wore a blue suit to the NBA Draft Lottery. His team ended up falling from having the sixth-best odds to land the No. 1 pick to receiving the ninth pick (where he selected Murray-Boyles), and he's hoping that his bad luck from last year turns into good karma with the Mavericks.
He has decided to send Matt Riccardi and Rolando Blackman to tomorrow's lottery, the same duo that represented the team when they won the rights to the No. 1 pick last season, and getting lucky enough to jump into the top four of the draft would be game-changing for Dallas. They have a 28.97 percent chance to pull this off, and the ping pong balls going in their way would give them a golden path to select Wilson.
Why Wilson would be an excellent fit in Dallas
He projects to be one of the best all-around draft prospects in this year's draft, and while his freshman season as a Tarheel was cut short due to some hand injuries, he proved enough in his 24 games of action that he's going to be an elite NBA player.
The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 57.8 percent from the field. He was one of the best dunkers in the NCAA, whether that was through put-backs, lobs, or dunks off the dribble, he was always throwing it down with authority.
Wilson also displayed an ability to make tough mid-range jumpers, despite his 3-point jumper not coming around yet. He's mostly a play finisher at this point, but that's all he would need to be if he were playing with Flagg and Kyrie Irving.
Flagg's self-creation was much better than anyone could've imagined as a rookie, and Wilson would be eased into an offensive role in Dallas. His role would mostly be to help bolster the frontcourt's defense with Flagg and their bigs, and playing for Ujiri's new team would be the perfect fit for all sides involved.
Ujiri loves his two-way wings, and Wilson is one of the best in the entire draft.
