2026 NBA Draft winners and losers: Mavericks fail to help Cooper Flagg with low-upside Morez Johnson Jr. pick

The Dallas Mavericks selected Morez Johnson Jr. with the No. 9 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, a choice widely considered low-upside and a failure to surround top prospect Cooper Flagg with high-quality talent. Johnson Jr. is a Michigan product who previously played under Dusty May, whom Dallas hired as coach just days before the draft. Analysts have labeled the Mavericks among the losers of the draft based on this selection.