Bullet point summary by AI
- The Dallas Mavericks’ surprise hiring of Dusty May has thrown their draft strategy into flux just days before Tuesday’s selection meeting.
- The coach’s unique relationships with several Michigan prospects could change the Mavs NBA Draft plans.
- With the No. 9 pick and no incentive to tank, the Mavericks face a pivotal decision that could reshape their frontcourt dynamics immediately.
One of the biggest stunners in recent memory has shaken up the NBA right before the draft. The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to hire Dusty May as their new head coach has sent the Wolverines scrambling for a new coach and put the Mavs in a unique position entering Tuesday’s draft.
May already has a franchise cornerstone to work with in Cooper Flagg, an All-Star caliber point guard in Kyrie Irving and some unique complimentary pieces in Dereck Lively II, Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford. The Mavericks also can add to that core with the No. 9 pick in this year’s draft, which marks the last time Dallas has full control of its own first-round pick until 2031.
Nailing that pick can accelerate the build up around Flagg to contend in a loaded Western Conference, with most mocks linking the Mavericks to some of the top guards in the class like Kingston Flemings, Mikel Brown Jr and Brayden Burries. The addition of May, however, could inspire Dallas to look towards some of his former players at No. 9
Why Dusty May’s hire could influence the Mavericks’ draft pick
Dallas’ selection late in the top-10 puts them right in range for a trio of May’s former players: Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. While most experts have pegged a guard next to Irving as a good pick for the Mavericks, landing any of May’s former front line players could be a big help to slot at the four between Flagg and Lively.
Lendeborg has excellent potential as a stretch four to serve as a connector and floor spacer with the most plug-and-play potential of anyone outside the top four of the class. If the Mavericks are hoping to make a big jump right away, which makes sense since they have no incentive to tank next year with their draft pick going to Charlotte unless it lands inside the top two, Lendeborg could help immediately.
Mara offers value as a rim protector and passing big man, which could allow the Mavericks to play a big lineup with Lively at the four and Flagg at the three. As the Knicks showed in the NBA Finals, having multiple bigs to combat San Antonio Spurs’ star Victor Wembanyama is important, so adding Mara to the big man rotation is also viable.
The intriguing wild card here is Johnson, whose stock has risen throughout the pre-draft process. Johnson is not as dynamic an offensive player as Lendeborg or a rim protector like Mara, but his combination of physicality and skill is one that could be a nice fit alongside Flagg in time.
May obviously has unique insight into his former players and could make a case that they could help him in Dallas over the coming years. While it is a bit late in the process for the scouting department to change their reports on players, May’s influence could push Dallas’ pick in a different direction than it would have been with another coach.
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