Top NBA Draft Prospect Reportedly Interested In Dallas Mavericks

We are now three weeks away from the start of the 2026 NBA Draft, which will be one of the most pivotal moments in the Dallas Mavericks' history. They're aware that this is their best chance for the foreseeable future to build around Cooper Flagg, as they hold the 9th, 30th, and 48th picks. There could be more options to add even more picks, too.

Lucky for the Mavs, they have a situation that a lot of players want to be in. With a young superstar in Cooper Flagg, a well-respected team president in Masai Ujiri, and every player's favorite player in Kyrie Irving, there are plenty of reasons to want to be a Maverick.

We could see that impact the NBA Draft, and we even saw it last year. Ryan Nembhard was a draftable player last year but he ended up going undrafted so he could be picked up by the Mavs in undrafted free agency, and he used some strong performances on a two-way contract to be elevated to a standard contract.

Dallas needs to upgrade its backcourt, and it just so happens that a lot of players projected to go from the 5-10 range are all guards. One such guard is Arizona's Brayden Burries, a 6'4" combo guard who averaged 16.1 PPG as a freshman for one of the best teams in the country.

According to Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports, Burries could be trying to angle his way to Dallas. ︀︀“The interesting thing is that so far he hasn’t taken a lot of workouts," Finkelstein said. "There are teams higher in the lottery that would be interested in working Burries out, and yet there’s growing speculation he may prefer Dallas.”

Mar 26, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) celebrates after a play against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Brayden Burries Could Start a Trend for Draft Prospects

A lot of draft prospects have preferred destinations, and we've seen them try to maneuver around draft boards. Just last year, we saw Ace Bailey try to hold out to be drafted by the Washington Wizards with the 6th pick, but the Utah Jazz scooped him up at 5 anyway.

The Mavericks are going to be a common preferred destination for prospects. Mikel Brown Jr. has said how much he likes Dallas, Labaron Philon could be a good fit, and Kingston Flemings is someone who could learn from Kyrie Irving.

Dallas will have plenty of options with the 9th pick. It's on them to determine who will be the best fit alongside Cooper Flagg for the future.

Add us as a preferred source on Google