Mavericks find 'perfect' complement for 2025-26 ROY Cooper Flagg in post-NBA Draft lottery mock draft

Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) shoots as North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) defends. Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Mavericks find 'perfect' complement for 2025-26 ROY Cooper Flagg in post-NBA Draft lottery mock draft

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 11, 2026 1:44 PM ET

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The Dallas Mavericks weren't as lucky in the 2026 NBA Draft lottery as they were in 2025.

After landing the top pick in last year's draft and using it to take forward Cooper Flagg, Dallas obtained pick No. 9 in the lottery on Sunday. The Washington Wizards now pick first.

While a higher selection would've been nice for the Mavericks, the team remains in a solid position heading into the draft (scheduled June 23-24 at the Barclays Center in New York). The franchise can use it to add another player who would be an excellent complement for 2025-26 Rookie of the Year Flagg.

Mavericks take "perfect" Cooper Flagg complement in new mock draft

Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor had the Mavericks selecting Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (6-foot-5, 190 pounds) with pick No. 9 in his mock draft published after the lottery.

"The Mavericks didn't get lucky in the lottery once again, but they could still find the perfect point guard running mate for Cooper Flagg with this selection," wrote O'Connor. "When Brown is in the zone, he has an unstoppable pull-up jumper, an ambidextrous finishing ability and the quick reads to rifle passes before the defense can react."

Brown displayed his scoring prowess in Louisville's 118-77 win over the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Feb. 9, when he scored 45 points and drilled 10 three-pointers. Coincidentally, that eclipsed Flagg's freshman ACC record for points in a game. The former Duke Blue Devils star scored 42 points during an 86-78 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Jan. 11, 2025.

Mikel Brown Jr. eclipsed Cooper Flagg's ACC freshman single-game record with 45 points in Louisville's 118-77 win vs. NC State pic.twitter.com/kMkDOwCqbe
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 10, 2026

Pair Brown and Flagg together, and that could give the Mavericks the high-scoring duo they need. Dallas ranked 23rd in the league in scoring (114.1 points per game) this past season and went 26-56.

If Brown were off the board at No. 9, Dallas would still have options. Tankathon has the Mavericks selecting Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (6-foot-4, 205 pounds), who averaged 19.4 points per game in one season with the Big 12 power.

Surely, Dallas would prefer having the No. 1 pick in the draft again. That said, it's better than not having a top-10 selection. Take the Indiana Pacers. They were among the lottery's biggest losers after falling to fifth in the draft and losing their first-rounder.

Winning last season's lottery was an extremely lucky break for the Mavericks after trading guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2025. Finding the Robin to Flagg's Batman would continue to make the most of that good fortune. And in a draft that's as deep as the 2026 class, there's a high chance Dallas could add the player who suits that role, whether it's Brown or someone else.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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