Mavericks' projected draft plan could threaten young guard's starting spot

Following the NBA Draft Lottery and NBA Draft Combine, Dallas Mavericks fans are geared up for who the organization will select with the ninth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23. However, there are implications for how this pick will impact next season's rotation, and no player on the Mavericks is in jeopardy of losing his starting job to a new rookie more than 23-year-old guard Max Christie.

Christie had a career year for the Mavericks last season, proving he can be a reliable marksman from beyond the arc, as well as a decent defender at the point of attack. The Mavericks viewed him as untouchable heading into the trade deadline for the most part, but an end-of-season shooting slump will likely challenge this notion heading into this summer.

Christie could lose his starting spot to the guard Dallas drafts

Christie is eligible for up to a four-year $93 million contract extension, so it will be interesting to see if Dallas tries to bargain with that figure or attempts to go for an extension next summer instead. However, drafting a guard that is projected to go in their range, such as Brayden Burries, Kingston Flemings, or Mikel Brown Jr., could make Dallas think twice about even giving Christie an extension before he becomes a free agent in 2027 or 2028.

Burries is the idealistic 3-and-D two-guard Dallas would want next to Kyrie Irving, and he profiles as having a more extensive offensive bag compared to Christie. Flemings is a tenacious defender at the point of attack, and profiles to have far more finishing and playmaking chops compared to Christie. Brown Jr. is eerily similar to Flemings, but is bigger and was less efficient from outside during his time at Louisville.

Of course, Dallas may opt to draft none of these three players at pick nine, but the point is that all of these players replicate what Christie does at shooting guard for the Mavericks, and some of them may be even better than him at these attributes in their rookie season. They obviously need more backcourt help, and with most analysts expecting them to go with a guard with their lottery pick, Christie's role in the starting lineup could quickly disappear.

It's hard to argue Christie has a higher ceiling than some prospects

The Mavericks won't know for certain who is going to get the starting job at shooting guard until both the draft and training camp are finished, but if they go in the direction that many fans think they will at the draft in terms of drafting a shooting or combo guard, then Christie is in serious jeopardy of losing his spot.

Again, Christie's slump wasn't so terrible that Dallas needs to immediately pull the trigger on a trade for him this offseason or completely give up on him as a foundational piece on the roster next to Cooper Flagg going forward, but some tough conversations will inevitably be had if he fails to improve and Dallas brings in one of these young guards.

The Mavericks would be smart to see how their new draft pick performs at Summer League before preemptively handing Christie a massive extension, especially if they elect to select a guard in June. Christie is still young with room to grow, just like any of the aforementioned players Dallas could draft in June are as well, but whether his ceiling is as high as theirs or he fits next to Flagg and Irving as well as them is 100 percent the burning question at the moment.

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