New Mavericks GM 'Confident' in 2026 NBA Draft Despite Lottery Fall

The Dallas Mavericks didn't have back-to-back years of insane NBA Draft Lottery luck, as they fell one spot to the 9th overall pick for the 2026 NBA Draft, with the lottery results being announced on Sunday. It may have been too much to ask for the Mavs to jump up for the second year in a row as they look to pair another young star with last year's first overall pick, Cooper Flagg, but there was hope regardless.

Nonetheless, the 2026 Draft is a talented one, with many experts calling it the deepest draft in years. While the Mavs may have hoped to jump into the top four, they still believe they can add the right player to their core. They have a new front office that prides itself on drafting, led by team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz.

Both figureheads were in Chicago for the lottery results, and Schmitz briefly met with the media afterwards, where he was asked how confident he was that the Mavs could add someone into the rotation with the 9th pick.

“Very confident," Schmitz said, via Noah Weber. "I think we want someone who can bring a variety of different skills and bring a mentality that we’re looking for. But we’re really confident we can get a rotation-level player, and we’re gonna do everything we can.”

Mavericks general manager Mike Schmitz on how confident he is that Dallas can land a rotation player at No. 9:

“Very confident. I think we want someone who can bring a variety of different skills and bring a mentality that we’re looking for. But we’re really confident we can get… pic.twitter.com/MA54pklHNg
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) May 10, 2026

Masai Ujiri Also Confident in 9th Selection

Masai Ujiri was with the Toronto Raptors this time last year, where they also held the 9th overall pick. It's unclear how much say he had in the draft process last year, considering he and the Raptors went their separate ways shortly after, but they ended up taking Collin Murray-Boyles out of South Carolina with that pick, who had a fantastic rookie season, even averaging 14.4 PPG and 6.4 RPG in the playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Last year's draft ended up having a lot more rookies that could contribute immediately than originally believed, but experts still think the 2026 Draft is better. Ujiri backed up that sentiment by saying, "We'll be fine. It's one of the deepest drafts in recent years," via Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News.

The Mavs now have a little over six weeks to narrow down their list of prospects. While they may have dreamed of adding a talent like Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa, they still think someone will be there with the 9th pick that can help them win a lot of games in the future.

Add us as a preferred source on Google