Scout Discusses Building Around Cooper Flagg

The Mavericks are entering an important offseason as they look to build their team around star rookie Cooper Flagg.

They have picks No. 9, 30, and 48 in the 2026 Draft, along with a new front office headlined by new president Masai Ujiri and first-time general manager Mike Schmitz.

NBA draft scout James Barlowe spoke recently about the options facing Dallas this summer as they look to add another team cornerstone alongside Flagg, per Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.

Barlowe points to more consistent outside shooting as a need for the team moving forward. He highlights Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville), Kingston Flemings (Houston), Brayden Burries (Arizona), and Nate Ament (Tennessee) as likely top options when the Mavs are on the board, and calls Brown the top long-term guard prospect, given his ceiling as a shooter and playmaker. Brown is 7th on ESPN’s big board by Jeremy Woo, with Flemings come one spot later.

As teams like the Knicks, Spurs, and Thunder have shown, having as many players with positional size who can dribble, pass, and shoot can make a huge difference in terms of injection versatility and unpredictability in a team’s offense, which is why Barlowe says the team shouldn’t hesitate if Brown is available when they’re at the podium.

While Ujiri has a reputation for valuing positional size above all things, due in part to the team he built in Toronto, Barlowe calls that an oversimplification, saying, “He’s a rule changer instead of a rule follower.”

The Mavs could also make a decision on Kyrie Irving, who is expected to be healthy after missing this season with an ACL tear. They could value Irving as a scorer and playmaker alongside Flagg, in which case it would behoove them to draft a guard who could play alongside Irving until it’s time to inherit more responsibility. However, he also believes that a smart front office would at least explore what Irving could return in trade if it helps continue to build a young foundation around Flagg.

Dallas could also explore moving down in the draft, either with pick nine or 30, to continue compiling future assets, as they have very limited access to future draft picks after this summer.