Mavericks' Chances of Taking Impact Player Late in NBA Draft Take Major Hit

The Dallas Mavericks saw a lot of potential rotation players decide to go back to college.

Sep 30, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto Raptors Vice-Chairman and Team President Masai Ujiri reacts while talking to the media about the passing of Dikembe Mutombo (not pictured) during media day at Scotiabank Area. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The 2026 NBA Draft is a huge turning point for the future of the Dallas Mavericks, as they hold the 9th, 30th, and 48th overall picks. Hit on those picks, and they have a good young core to grow and develop around Cooper Flagg. Miss, and the ability to build around Flagg becomes much harder, as they won't control their first-round pick again until 2031.

Masai Ujiri made a living in Toronto out of nailing late first-round picks, landing players like OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, who became vital pieces of the Raptors' 2019 championship. He'll need to work some similar magic this year, but his chances of doing so just took a big hit.

Wednesday was the deadline for early entry players in the 2026 NBA Draft to withdraw their names and return to college or overseas. A lot of players projected to go in the 30 range decided not to stay in the draft. It's already hard enough to nail those late picks, but it just became much harder for the Mavs.

Here are some of the players who decided to take their names out of the draft recently: Amari Allen (Alabama), Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt), Milan Momcilovic (Iowa State), Malachi Moreno (Kentucky), Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor, committed to St. John's), Billy Richmond (Arkansas), Rueben Chinyelu (Florida), Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State), Flory Bidunga (Kansas, committed to Louisville), Andrej Stojakovic (Illinois), and Matt Able (NC State, committed to UNC).

Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) reacts in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Three Mavericks Draft Targets Off the Board

Of the names that have taken their name out, there are three that would've been potential fits with the 30th overall pick, specifically: Tyler Tanner, Milan Momcilovic, and Tounde Yessoufou. Tanner is a dynamic point guard, but he's on the smaller end, as he measured in at 5'10 3/4" and 167 pounds. As electric as he is, that is very small for an NBA guard, especially as the league chases bigger guards.

Milan Momcilovic was arguably the best shooter in the draft, as he shot a blistering 48.7% from deep on 7.5 attempts per game last season. The Mavs need to upgrade their shooting, and Momcilovic was expected to go in the late first, early second.

Yessoufou is still a little bit of a project, but his athleticism and defensive tools had a lot of teams excited.

This is still a really good draft, so some of these players are banking on a weaker 2027 draft that could vault them into potential lottery-pick status instead of a second-round pick.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X for the latest news.