The Dallas Mavericks are weighing a move that could turn one lottery pick into two just one day before the 2026 NBA Draft. Late Sunday night and into Monday morning, Marc Stein reported that the Mavericks and Thunder discussed a framework built around Dallas sending the 9th pick for 12 and 17.
That matters now because Dallas enters the draft with the 9th, 30th and 48th overall picks, and it has shown a willingness to move up or down the board as it sees fit. The question is whether the Mavericks actually want to slide back while trying to improve a backcourt that still needs help.
Stein tied the talks to a broader goal on the Thunder side, saying they are looking to shed salary and tax. On Sunday, that was already visible when the Thunder sent Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks for two second-round picks. The reported structure gives Dallas a chance to rework its draft capital at a time when every pick carries extra weight.
The money also fits in a way that makes the idea harder to dismiss. Joe is set to make more than $11 million next season, and the Mavericks can absorb that salary into the trade exception received after the Anthony Davis trade. In practical terms, that means Dallas would not need to clear space in the usual way if the framework became a real deal. Combining the two first-round picks into one would also save the Mavericks money, which adds another layer to the appeal.
Still, the basketball problem does not disappear just because the math works. In the draft simulation, the only top guards left on the board were Darius Acuff Jr. and Labaron Philon, and the writer said he was all the way out on Acuff. Philon, meanwhile, was described as the kind of player who should be there with the 12th pick after impressing against Michigan in the Sweet 16 and averaging 22.0 PPG and 5.0 APG in his sophomore season. That is why the reported framework feels like more than a simple swap of draft slots: it would force Dallas to decide whether quantity, salary flexibility and a narrower board are worth giving up a better lottery position.
For now, the Mavericks are still one day from the draft with the deal only discussed, not done. If they pull the trigger, they will be betting that two picks and the right guard still in range are better than staying at 9. If they do not, the 9th pick remains their clearest path to finding the backcourt help they still appear to need.
