I should have added that I get the growing sense Carr isn't going to be available past 11 or 12, or could got at 10, so the idea of trading back to land him looks less and less likely; AKA I think the list of guys I would be fine trading back for is shrinking by the day.

The one guy I still wouldn't hate who is falling a bit is Labaron Philon. You could trade back to probably 15+ and still get him imo.

Tksymm7 said:

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I should have added that I get the growing sense Carr isn't going to be available past 11 or 12, or could got at 10, so the idea of trading back to land him looks less and less likely; AKA I think the list of guys I would be fine trading back for is shrinking by the day.

The one guy I still wouldn't hate who is falling a bit is Labaron Philon. You could trade back to probably 15+ and still get him imo.

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Philon went back to Bammers with Amari Allen, I think

Didn't see that one I don't think. Thanks for the update.

Guitarsoup said:

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Tksymm7 said:

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I should have added that I get the growing sense Carr isn't going to be available past 11 or 12, or could got at 10, so the idea of trading back to land him looks less and less likely; AKA I think the list of guys I would be fine trading back for is shrinking by the day.

The one guy I still wouldn't hate who is falling a bit is Labaron Philon. You could trade back to probably 15+ and still get him imo.

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Philon went back to Bammers with Amari Allen, I think

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I do not think that's correct. I haven't seen any legit reporting that he went back.

Edit: This guy from No Ceilings has Philon on his post-withdrawal deadline big board:

2026 NBA DRAFT TOP 60 BIG BOARD POST EARLY ENTRY WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE

Only player not officially confirmed is Meleek Thomas, but I'm projecting he did stay in the draft. Ceiling tiers are based on upside. #NBA #nbadraftlottery pic.twitter.com/FNbCKSUTNK

— Nathan Grubel (@DraftDeeper) May 28, 2026

Tksymm7 said:

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I should have added that I get the growing sense Carr isn't going to be available past 11 or 12, or could got at 10, so the idea of trading back to land him looks less and less likely; AKA I think the list of guys I would be fine trading back for is shrinking by the day.

The one guy I still wouldn't hate who is falling a bit is Labaron Philon. You could trade back to probably 15+ and still get him imo.

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I'd be surprised. If OKC is trading up to our spot it's probably for Mara or Yaxel.

I've seen Ament pretty consistently mocked to Milwaukee. Carr would be a fit here if they were keeping Giannis, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

GS needs to prepare for life after Steph. This pick is probably going to be a lead guard like Philon or Flemings/Burries if one of them falls.

If we trade back and Carr doesn't make it to 12, then it probably means that one of Flemings/Burries/Brown fell to 12. That would also be a win.

Vessel said:

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Guitarsoup said:

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Tksymm7 said:

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I should have added that I get the growing sense Carr isn't going to be available past 11 or 12, or could got at 10, so the idea of trading back to land him looks less and less likely; AKA I think the list of guys I would be fine trading back for is shrinking by the day.

The one guy I still wouldn't hate who is falling a bit is Labaron Philon. You could trade back to probably 15+ and still get him imo.

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Philon went back to Bammers with Amari Allen, I think

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I do not think that's correct. I haven't seen any legit reporting that he went back.

Edit: This guy from No Ceilings has Philon on his post-withdrawal deadline big board:

2026 NBA DRAFT TOP 60 BIG BOARD POST EARLY ENTRY WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE

Only player not officially confirmed is Meleek Thomas, but I'm projecting he did stay in the draft. Ceiling tiers are based on upside. #NBA #nbadraftlottery pic.twitter.com/FNbCKSUTNK

— Nathan Grubel (@DraftDeeper) May 28, 2026

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BREAKING: Labaron Philon is withdrawing from the NBA Draft and returning to Alabama, @yea_ala reports🐘https://t.co/11lleDW317 pic.twitter.com/5YCIzxVLec

— On3 (@On3) May 29, 2025

No clue who is right

They cited an Alabama fan account lol. No actual reporters have said he withdrew from the draft.

Also if you go to that fan account, they have an exclusive with Amari Allen about returning to Bama but there is nothing on that page about Philon. So either the fan account jumped the gun on Philon and deleted the tweet or On3 got Allen and Philon mixed up lol.

yeah absolutely no way that is true. he'd be an idiot to do that, unless some bama booster guaranteed him $5M or something

zgolfz85 said:

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yeah absolutely no way that is true. he'd be an idiot to do that, unless some bama booster guaranteed him $5M or something

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Yaxel got like $10 million to go to Michigan last year. Carter Bryant got 4.8 million to play for the Spurs.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48899197/nba-draft-withdrawal-deadline-winners-losers-st-johns-vanderbilt-2026

Espn saying here that he's staying in the draft

Breaking: The NBA's Board of Governors has passed new anti-tanking rules that include expanding the draft lottery from 14 to 16 teams, a relegation zone where the bottom 3 teams get penalized with lessened chances for the No. 1 pick, and flattened odds, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/e1oq10p2yV

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 28, 2026

The league's proposed anti-tanking rule passed the board of governors vote. Interestingly, it only goes out to 2029.

Stein said he talked to a GM who said he would absolutely not trade any pick beyond 2029 because we have no idea what the rules will be.

This makes zero sense pic.twitter.com/0SysLTo5Us

— MFFL (@Mavs_FFL) May 28, 2026

One comes off the list:

BREAKING: The Orlando Magic are finalizing the hire of San Antonio Spurs associate coach Sean Sweeney as the franchise's new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Sweeney broke into NBA coaching in 2011 and now lands the Magic head job as a top rising candidate. pic.twitter.com/aV3Zj6l57k

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 29, 2026

Pretty surprised on the timing there. I wonder if the Mavs were looking elsewhere, or if he had no interest in coming back to Dallas.

Great hire for the Magic.

Not a great series for those of thinking Hartenstein or Caruso could be the salary-dumped player for OKC. Looking like Dort is the most expendable. After this series, Caruso and Hartenstein are borderline irreplaceable for them.

I'd still do Dort, 12, and 17, for number 9. Dort's team option would be picked up in a S&T and it fits in to the TPE.

They need to cut a lot more than Dort, though. Just Dort doesn't get them past the 2nd apron.

I'm super interested to see what Presti does.

Guitarsoup said:

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They need to cut a lot more than Dort, though. Just Dort doesn't get them past the 2nd apron.

I'm super interested to see what Presti does.

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Agree that they are well in to the tax to the tune of a $500 million payroll. But it's at least conceivable they are willing to pay the huge tax to keep their core together and hope to run it back with a healthy roster.

Their bigger issue going in to next season is that they don't have enough roster spots and they probably can't be drafting twice in the first round because that is two guaranteed contracts.

Insane that you draft your way into that kind of salary cap issue.

Yep, completely ridiculous. It would be common sense that players you draft don't count towards the tax or something like that. Or their cap hit is something around 75% of their actual contract value.

I don't think Caruso and Hartenstein are irreplaceable. What I took from that series more than anything (minus the whole Chet/Wemby thing) is how good and important Jalen Williams is. I think because he didn't play this year, we forget that he was a top 20 basketball player last year, the finals MVP and the reason they won it all imo.

If Ajay Mitchell and Williams are healthy, Caruso doesn't play as much that series and we're probably talking about it differently. I think OKC can pretty easily replace Caruso, Dort and Hartenstein imo, and they can do it almost exclusively with guys in their own team. Simply play Cason Wallace, Jaylen Williams and Isaiah Joe more, and well as Jared McCain.

Where I think OKC can and will try to get better is either going after one of Boozer or Wilson, or another elite upside scorer like Mikel Brown Jr. When J Dub was out they just didn't have another consistent scorer, and that is where I really think they lost the series. Shooting and a scorer OR getting another elite upside big man like Boozer or Wilson on a cheap deal. I don't think they will blow it up over one series and go get Giannis and what not.

I agree with your "on to the next guy" methodology for the Thunder this offseason.

One silver lining to the loss is that Presti doesn't have to factor in "maintaining continuity to go for the three-peat" into his calculus as he makes some tough decisions over the next month or two. I think he can be creative in lightly revamping the roster to 1) stay under aprons and 2) optimize for long term success.

There wasn't anything about the Spurs series that made me think "wow, emergency, we need to make a panic trade". I'd be happy to set things up to make sure we get really good looks at the title over the next 5-6 years and let the chips fall where they may.

I think that's the best mentality to roster-building in the modern NBA and the best approach for the Thunder, who have set the table to let the numbers game work in their favor over time. The biggest mistake they could make would be thinking they need to do something drastic to bring in "the guy" to put them over the top in a specific matchup vs the Spurs. Luckily Presti doesn't think that way.

What I would do if I was Presti (and I think he's ultimately going to do something along these lines) is start with your "on to the next guy" method. I would not bring back Hart or Dort. To the best extent possible, I'd use them as trade chips. I'd also look to deal Cason, who I love but ultimately I think he's going to be our "can't afford to pay everyone" casualty after next year. I'd also find a new home for Wiggins.

Shedding those four guys gets us under the aprons.

From there, I'd keep 1.12 and try to package 1.17 with Cason to see how high up I can move (side note, I wonder if 1.17 and Cason for 1.09 to the Mavs would make sense). We've been working out Ament and Yaxel and I wouldn't be surprised if we really want to add a longer wing with creator/shooting capabilities to the rotation. I'd take one of those guys with the higher pick.

Then I'd poke around with Ajay to see how interested he would be in ripping up his $3M team option for 27-28 and doing a team-friendly deal now. If he's willing, then I'd go with best big body available with our other first rounder. If he wants to test free-agency, then I'd take the best scoring guard available and start backfilling him now.

We'd be left with a starting line up of Ajay, SGA, Dub, Jaywill and Chet, which I like for alot of reasons. Dub slides into the Dort role but with more of a Pippen twist. It would be a good floor stretching unit around SGA. Then McCain and Caruso are our two top-end bench guys.

From there, it gets fun because we can work Topic, Yaxel, Morez and Sorber into the rotation early and see how they do. If the team is going to be successful beyond 2028, a couple of those guys need to be solid hits. Clearing Cason, Dort and Hart helps pave the way for minutes for them.

I'm really high on Topic and I think he will be a good creator/playmaker to lead the second unit. Yaxel, Morez and Sorber will give us much-needed size/bulk. Lastly, I'd keep Kenrich and Joe around as leaders and insurance if the rookies aren't panning out.

It seems like there's some X buzz about PJ Washington to OKC for some pick shuffling and maybe Cason.

If I was Presti I'd prob rather take my chances on a couple rookie scale guys but I can see why PJW would be someone he'd want to kick the tires on to give us a little more bulk on the perimeter.

Great post!

It would cost a fortune I think, thus I don't think I wouldn't do it, but Cam Boozer on OKC would be amazing, unfair, ridiculous and any other adjective you could come up with. Being able to run an offense with a PF, SGA, JDub, Chet and a three and D shooter would be unreal.

Thanks for the OKC perspective on things.

I like Cason, but not sure that's enough to move back 8 spots in this draft. If it was 12 then we'd be closer to a deal. Given the tier drop around 9/10, it's a big jump up. Cason is a weird player where he's a short-ish guard, but he's not really a ballhandler. Since his rookie year, he's been an average 3 point shooter. We move back and we have to commit a ton of money to a guy whose primary skill is POA defense and not much else? We already lack for shooting.

Put it this way, the entire league would hate the Mavs if all we got was Cason, and OKC now has the 9th and 12th picks in the draft. That's how you know it isn't really that great of a deal lol.

Totally agree. I can't imagine a prospect who would fit the Thunder better than Cam Boozer. So much so that if the Thunder had lucked out and hit the lottery 1.01, I would have taken him over AJD and Peterson.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem likely that WAS, UTA or MEM could be enticed to move out of the top 3 without giving up the entire treasure chest. But I could be wrong.

Where OKC sits today, I think slow and steady backfilling the roster via multiple first rounders every year probably probably beats cashing them all in for one guy.

Vessel said:

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Thanks for the OKC perspective on things.

I like Cason, but not sure that's enough to move back 8 spots in this draft. If it was 12 then we'd be closer to a deal. Given the tier drop around 9/10, it's a big jump up. Cason is a weird player where he's a short-ish guard, but he's not really a ballhandler. Since his rookie year, he's been an average 3 point shooter. We move back and we have to commit a ton of money to a guy whose primary skill is POA defense and not much else? We already lack for shooting.

Put it this way, the entire league would hate the Mavs if all we got was Cason, and OKC now has the 9th and 12th picks in the draft. That's how you know it isn't really that great of a deal lol.

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That's fair. I admittedly don't have a great sense of how much player value is required to move up X spots in a draft. Maybe 17 and Cason to Golden State for 11 would make more sense.

Cason is a dog and could be great as a role player around Flagg long term. But he's probably going to be looking for $25M per year after next year. Not sure if the Mavs would want to make that sort of commitment.

Just out of curiosity, who do you see in your top 9-10 rookie tier?

Deluxe said:

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Vessel said:

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Thanks for the OKC perspective on things.

I like Cason, but not sure that's enough to move back 8 spots in this draft. If it was 12 then we'd be closer to a deal. Given the tier drop around 9/10, it's a big jump up. Cason is a weird player where he's a short-ish guard, but he's not really a ballhandler. Since his rookie year, he's been an average 3 point shooter. We move back and we have to commit a ton of money to a guy whose primary skill is POA defense and not much else? We already lack for shooting.

Put it this way, the entire league would hate the Mavs if all we got was Cason, and OKC now has the 9th and 12th picks in the draft. That's how you know it isn't really that great of a deal lol.

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That's fair. I admittedly don't have a great sense of how much player value is required to move up X spots in a draft. Maybe 17 and Cason to Golden State for 11 would make more sense.

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I wouldn't say I do either as far as a points system or anything, just operating on vibes lol.

Quote:

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Cason is a dog and could be great as a role player around Flagg long term. But he's probably going to be looking for $25M per year after next year. Not sure if the Mavs would want to make that sort of commitment.

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I agree and he'll probably get it from somebody. I don't want to be the team making that type of commitment. He's one of the best POA defenders in the league and he's pretty average at everything else. He's also had the benefit of always being the 4th-ish option when on the court. What happens when a team gives you a ton of money and you're asked to be more of a 2nd/3rd best player on the court? Buyer beware.

Quote:

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Just out of curiosity, who do you see in your top 9-10 rookie tier?

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After the consensus top 4, there's the guards everybody mentions: Wagler, Burries, Acuff (I personally would not draft Acuff at all, but he's in this group for everybody else), Brown, and Flemings. Yaxel is in that tier as a player, he's just older. He actually makes a lot of sense on OKC, GS, Miami, or Charlotte, all teams who want to win now.

That's where the tier drop is for me and then you have Mara, Morez, Philon, Carr, Ament (would not draft Ament either), and Quaintance. There are just a little more questions about the next group.

For the Mavs, drafting one of those guards at 9 is a big win. It's a huge drop to 17 where you have no idea who will be available because the draft could go so many ways between 10 and 16.

I like Wallace a lot, but he isn't remotely close to a 25M/year player. He's a very good/great defender, but last two years he has been a 35% 3pt shooter. He's also only 6'2.5 barefoot, so he doesn't have positional size. He has a lot of great showing, and was fantastic in game 7, but that is not enough to get you to 25/year as a role player. That's how much Dyson Daniels got as a full time starter. Role players are getting crunched hard under the apron rules (current discussion about it on the Spurs thread)

Agree on your tiers. I think there is enough of a drop off between tier 2 and 3 that you would have to gain a significant enough asset to do it.

And again this team needs another real deal scoring threat whether we have Kyrie next year or not. They have to get better on that side of the ball, and the best way to do that in the draft is draft as high as possible.

Ebuka Okorie has upcoming pre-draft workouts scheduled with the following teams:

Bulls
Hawks
Mavericks

Okorie’s stock is rising as a score-first playmaker who could step in immediately as a second unit point guard. pic.twitter.com/ddRCuEv3ce

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 1, 2026

Guy the nerds love. I can't see the Mavs taking him at 9, but could see the Mavs taking him in a trade back scenario with Charlotte or OKC.

Michigan C Aday Mara figures to be a realistic trade-up target for the Thunder, per Marc Stein’s substack

The Mavericks own the 9th overall pick, around the area Mara is projected to go.

The Thunder own the 12th, 17th, and 38th picks in this draft.https://t.co/Hv58J2wyJR pic.twitter.com/UE4nq1ySU2

— Mavs Film Room 🐴🎥 (@MavsFilmRoom) June 1, 2026

Sorry if I missed it elsewhere, but Mavs org just officially announced that they're going to build a new arena and entertainment district at the vacant Valley View Mall lot off of LBJ and Preston Road.
City of Dallas leadership continues to underwhelm...