Mavericks' 2026 First-Round Pick Makes Decision on Coming to NBA or Staying in Europe

Will Sergio De Larrea stay in Europe like he was planning on? Or has being drafted by his favorite team changed his mind?

Feb 21, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri looks on court side before a NBA game against the Miami Heat at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks had an eventful 2026 NBA Draft, making two trades, giving them a total of four new prospects to build around for the future. Two of them are international prospects: Spain's Sergio De Larrea and Russia's Vsevolod Ishchenko.

There was a thought that those two players would be staying overseas as they continue to develop. De Larrea, in particular, was leaning toward staying overseas, but that was before he was drafted by the team he's been rooting for. NBA insider Marc Stein reported after the draft that De Larrea was still deciding on whether or not to come over, but it seems that decision has been made.

According to Encestando, a Spanish publication, De Larrea will be coming to the United States to play in the NBA this season, and his Spanish club, Valencia, has already filled his position. That's a big win for the Mavericks, as they need to go ahead and get him in the building, where he can work with renowned player development coach Phil Handy.

It helps that De Larrea will be on a guaranteed four-year contract. Had he been selected in the second round and not received a guaranteed contract, it may have been more likely that he stayed overseas. He also knows that he has a chance to make an impact early, as the Mavericks have a thin backcourt.

Before free agency starts, the Mavericks have Kyrie Irving and Ryan Nembhard as their point guards, and Max Christie, Klay Thompson, and AJ Johnson at shooting guard. De Larrea can play either backcourt position because of his size at 6'7", but he may be a better fit at shooting guard while he tightens his ball-handling and passing.

According to Encestando, had De Larrea not been traded from the New York Knicks to the Mavs on draft night, he would have stayed overseas. Now, he gets a $15 million deal over four years to be on his favorite team.

Will Sergio De Larrea Play in NBA Summer League?

The one thing that is still up in the air is whether or not Sergio De Larrea will play in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas on July 9th. He's coming off winning a Liga ACB championship that just wrapped up this week, so he's played a lot of basketball recently.

The Mavericks would probably like to see him play, mainly to see how he adapts to the NBA's spacing and pace, but they also don't want to play him too much after just coming off a championship. He'll need some time to rest and recover before more international play and then the NBA season.

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