Mavericks can't ignore this draft plan to strike gold with the ninth pick

With the NBA Draft just over two weeks away, the Dallas Mavericks' biggest draft need is already clear. Dallas has to be all-in on finding their point guard of the future with the ninth pick to play alongside Cooper Flagg as they enter this new era. Bleacher Report agrees.

Strong guard play is important for any team looking to build a contender, and with Dallas being a ways away from being a playoff team, they have to get an elite young point guard. They already have good talent on the wing and inside. Now, they just need to employ a draft plan that has them picking the best guard available with the No. 9 pick.

Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz listed every NBA team's "biggest need in the 2026 NBA Draft," and he said that the Mavericks' biggest need is a franchise point guard. Swartz's reasoning for this includes Kyrie Irving not fitting Dallas' new timeline, along with how the draft looks like it will fall in the five-through-10 range. Several elite guards should be on the board when the Mavs are on the clock at No. 9, making it crucial as ever that they hit on this pick and select a guard.

Dallas must draft a guard to join the young core

With Dereck Lively II poised to be healthy at the start of next season, Swartz also thinks it would make sense to balance Dallas' stacked frontcourt with a future star point guard. The formula of ensuring your team has a core on the same timeline that includes a high-level guard, wing, and big is a recipe for success, and with Flagg and Lively II holding down the wing and center spot, they need a guard to play with.

Lively II has proven that he can be one of the best pick-and-roll bigs in the NBA when paired with a premier playmaker, and this year's draft is stacked at the guard spot.

In the five-to-10 range, players like Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff Jr., Mikel Brown Jr., Kingston Flemings, and Brayden Buurries are going to begin flying off the board. Luckily for the Mavericks, one of those players will definitely fall to them at nine if they stay put. If they trade up, they'll have even more options.

The draft board will favor the Mavericks

Dallas' ability to draft the best guard possible will all depend on who the teams in front of them pick, and if someone like Nate Ament jumps into the top eight, they'll have even more choices. This would be the best-case scenario for the Mavericks, and they should be hoping that Aday Mara gets selected in the top eight as well.

This would ensure that multiple of the top-tier point guards fall to them at the No. 9 pick, and with the Masai Ujiri era beginning now, they have to find a new guard who can hold down their backcourt. Irving isn't going to be able to sustain this level of play into Flagg's prime, and it's time to surround the Maine Event with multi-faceted players who are around his age.

The best way to do this is through the draft, and fans have been pushing for Dallas to find their guard of the future in the draft for months now. The Mavericks' backcourt was abysmal with Irving out for the entire season, and while Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams both played well at points, the odds are slim to none that both players are back. Nembhard's contract has a $2.15 million team option on it, and while Dallas will likely opt in, Williams seems good as gone in free agency.

The Mavericks can't expect Nembhard and Irving to be their guard duo of the future, given Irving's age and Nembhard looking more like a backup point guard, making their need for a high-ceiling youngster extremely high. This is their weakest link by far, and it must be addressed.

Burries or Brown Jr. should be at the top of Masai Ujiri's wish list

Burries or Brown Jr. would be a dream come true for Dallas, as Brown Jr. is one of the most electric point guards in the entire draft who dazzles with his playmaking, multi-level scoring, and athleticism. Burries looks like he's going to be the best two-way guard in the draft outside of Darryn Peterson, and his perimeter defense combined with his shooting makes him someone that any winning team should want.

Dallas will have the chance to draft at least one solid guard with the No. 9 overall pick, and they can't mess up this opportunity. This is their one chance to draft an elite young guard to play with Flagg, given that they don't fully control their own first-round pick again until 2031, and the 2026 draft class is extremely stacked.

This year's draft board is going to gift the Mavericks a chance to strike gold and select their point guard of the future; they just have to take him.

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