u/devilmaskrascal

I know it sounds like a Masai Ujiri joke. Thirteen 6'7+ guys on the roster isn't enough yet? Don't we need a point guard?

But I think Rui is probably going to be the most screwed by the lack of options this summer and LA's decision to reconfigure their roster without him.

We still have the full MLE. I think he deserves more than that. He's a 6'8 forward starter who shot 44.3% from 3 last year (and over 40% the last three) and had to be a leader defensively carrying a team with Luka, Reaves and old LeBron. Moreover, he seems to be a really good teammate.

He was going to be my free agency target before we drafted Morez, but I wonder if it still makes sense? Too many mouths to feed, but at $16M a year, he's basically a trade asset. Nobody has more than the NTMLE to offer him right now, and we're one of the few teams that hasn't used it.

Is it a bad use of resources to pick up a guy who doesn't really fit structurally and is a little old for the timeline, or a good use of resources to add an excellent shooter and solid defender in his prime who will probably be making less than market value and maybe shop him later?

PG: Kyrie - De Larrea - Nembhard

SG: Christie - Klay - Sasser - (Poulakidis)

SF: Flagg - Naji - Martin - (Biberovic?) - (Ischenko?)

PF: Rez - PJ - Aldama - (Lawal?)

C: Lively - Gafford - Cisse - (Powell?)

We haven't even used the MLE yet or traded any rotation players and we're already crowded at almost every position - and a lot of these guys are positionless and can cover multiple spots.

• PG is the only position I'd say we're shallow at. The backup point guards all seem more possibly good than guaranteed to be. We need to give Kyrie plenty of time off so he stays healthy and I think we are still missing a good solution unless De Larrea is ready to roll right off the bat.
• Obviously we'd want to get rid of Martin's deadweight deal if we could but don't think anyone wants it.
• I was all for trading Klay to open up more minutes for Christie, De Larrea, Sasser, Poulakidis, etc. but I think shooting is still a critical need, and he's apparently one of Coach's favorite players of all time so I think he stays.
• PJ probably need to be moved to open up more developmental time for Morez, Aldama, Cisse and any of the other younger prospect forwards we've added. But he's also a great combo forward who might be worth more at the deadline after playing half a year with Kyrie and reminding the NBA of how good he is.
• Gafford seems most likely to be moved, but he might be more critical than PJ given Lively's ongoing injury questions. If we think Morez, Aldama and Cisse can hold down the fort and maybe we bring back Powell as a final option, I'm ok with it.
• Trading PJ or Naji for a backup PG (looking at Portland - Jrue?), stretch-waiving Martin and using the MLE to bid on Mathurin who can possibly start at 2 would make things balanced.

Ex.

PG: Kyrie - Jrue (will start a lot, may start over Mathurin at 2) - De Larrea - Nembhard

SG: Mathurin - Christie - Sasser - (Poulakidis)

SF: Flagg - Naji or PJ - Klay - (Biberovic?) - (Ischenko?)

PF: Morez - Aldama - (Lawal?)

C: Lively - Gafford - Cisse - Powell

I don't think Biberovic comes over without a guaranteed deal (not a two-way) - he makes about 3x as much as the two-way per year on Fenerbahce and is competing at the highest level in Europe where he can be a star player on a contender instead of a benchwarmer. I think it's likely both Biberovic and Ischenko are stashed.

https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/2072454347217158196

25 year old 6'7 Bosnian SF who started on Turkish league champs/Euroleague Final 4 team Fenerbahce last season. Averaged 11.1 ppg and 41.4% from 3! As a recent Fenerbahce fan this makes me happy. Euroleague champion in 2024-25 under the brilliant Sarunas Jasikevicius.

He's been stashed since drafted in 2023 by Memphis, so I'm assuming that might continue. He's primarily a shooter who can pass well. Not really an NBA level athlete imo, but if we need shooting he is excellent at that.

• Colin Sexton (27, SG/PG)
• Anfernee Simons (27, SG)
• DeAnthony Melton (28, PG/SG)
• Rui Hachimura (28, PF)
• Jonathan Kuminga (23, PF/SF)
• Mitchell Robinson (28, C)
• Norman Powell (33, SG/SF)
• Quentin Grimes (26, SG)
• Dean Wade (29, PF)
• Sandro Mamukelashvili (27, C/PF)
• Bruce Brown (28, SG/PG)
• John Collins (28, PF)

If we're trying to win now to maximize Kyrie's late career and there is any way we can actually sign him for the full MLE, I have to say Powell would be a fantastic fit. He's not the best defender, but he's been an excellent 3-point shooter and 20 ppg guy for several years now. We have no reason to be bad next year, so adding an All Star who can shoot lights out from 3 would definitely improve our ceiling.

If the goal is to add guys relatively close to Cooper's timeline, Grimes is the youngest of all these MLE UFA guys and we kind of know what he can do. I think he'd fit well here, and maybe we could even give him $10M and still have $5M to resign Bagley or sign someone else.

I do think it's likely we don't use the full MLE and instead focus on taking back salary in trades for RFAs - guys like Bennedict Mathurin, Jalen Duren, Payton Watson and Walker Kessler are all 24 or younger - or young players (like Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, etc.)

I'm kind of surprised we are one of the only teams that hasn't signed any undrafted guys, even just as summer league/camp deals. There's been like 100 UDFA signings and we don't have one?

Most of the top 100 ranked guys on big boards have already been scooped up other than maybe Darrion Williams from NC State, Cade Tyson from Minnesota, Tre Carroll of Xavier and Jalen Washington from Vanderbilt. I'm kind of surprised Schmitz didn't have some more Ischenkos under the radar in the UDFA pool?

Do we have enough players to fill out our summer league team when that starts in like a week and a half?

NY Times: B

Everyone around the Wolverines raves about the intensity and effort that Johnson brought to the court every day. He was my No. 11-ranked player and the top big on my board, so I don’t mind the value here. He’s a power player and rebounder who can play in a variety of defensive coverages at the four and the five and has a chance to turn into an All-Defensive-caliber player. He screens well and finishes efficiently on the interior, too, although he is limited on offense beyond that.

The Ringer: B

The assumption here was that Dallas, even with May coming over from Michigan, would go with someone who could bring dynamism to its half-court offense, but Flagg’s amazing (yet expected) growth as a facilitator during year one and the imminent return of Kyrie Irving likely lightened the urgency to go in that direction. Johnson’s offensive role will be simple in the short term, but his immense defensive impact should be felt immediately. He’s versatile enough to shuttle with perimeter scorers and can lay the wood to bigs on the inside.

CBS: C+

Morez Johnson was one of the biggest winners of the combine, measuring bigger than expected with massive length, well-rounded athleticism, and simultaneously reaffirming the shooting gains we saw this year. Johnson is long and powerful with an NBA-ready body and rugged physicality to match. He is a two-way rebounder and a versatile defender who can not only guard ball-screens in multiple ways but also be switchable inside-and-out.Johnson is not a creator and doesn't project as being more than a complementary piece offensively. Shooting is also still largely unproven with a total of 12 3-pointers in two college basketball seasons. He can provide some secondary rim protection, but doesn't project as a primary shot-blocker at the NBA level.

Yahoo: A+

You know the guy on a championship team who never gets enough credit nationally? The one who sets the bone-crushing screen that springs the star, then immediately sprints to the rim for the lob, then turns around and blows up the other team's pick-and-roll on the other end all in one sequence? That's Morez Johnson. He...became the connective tissue of the national champions as a 251-pound wrecking ball with surprisingly soft hands and the defensive IQ to guard 1 through 5 in a switch-heavy scheme. The catch is he's not quite big enough to be a true center and not yet proven enough as a shooter to guarantee he spaces the floor. But even without a jumper, Johnson has a long future ahead of him at the next level.

NBC Sports: B

Dallas needs defense along the front line and Johnson, 6'9", is the best defensive forward in this draft, plus he can play some small-ball five. I thought this was a little high to take Johnson in a deep draft, but he was a flat-out winner in college, and May clearly believes he can bring that to the next level.

SB Nation: B+

Morez Johnson might have been the biggest surprise of the first round, but it’s a pick that also makes a lot of sense. Dallas just hired his college coach Dusty May, and Johnson was the youngest and most versatile defender of Michigan’s three lottery picks.

SI: B-

With new coach Dusty May in the fold, another Michigan man heads to Dallas. Johnson was somewhat of a reach at No. 9, but his athleticism and size should fit nicely alongside Cooper Flagg

The Score: B+

It's very telling that new Mavericks head coach Dusty May had his choice between all three potential lottery selections he coached at Michigan, and he picked Johnson - arguably the lowest-ranked prospect of the three. Though Johnson was the least productive in college, his tremendous athletic tools, multi-positional defensive versatility, and blossoming jumper give him the highest NBA upside. May saw Johnson firsthand and clearly believes that his defensive ability and emerging 3-point shot can complement franchise cornerstone Cooper Flagg.

USA Today: B

If we learned two things about the new Dallas Mavericks front office during the 2026 NBA Draft, it's that they trust new head coach Dusty May (reuniting him with one of his collegiate national champions) and they value verticality.

No Ceilings: B+

This was an A+ in my heart, but I needed to take a deep breath and remove my bias. I love Morez Johnson’s game and was higher than anyone on him all year. He’s a versatile defender and a freak rebounder, and he’s barely scratching the surface on offense. Having a front line of him, Cooper Flagg, and Dereck Lively could be terrifying for opponents. However, if Johnson’s offense doesn’t continue to develop like I think it will, the fit could get clunky on offense. I love the fit and baseline that Johnson provides the Mavericks, as all he does is make winning plays.

The Athletic: C+

Surprise! I’m a fan of Johnson but not quite at this level. I think his offensive limitations are a bit much to select him in the top 10 in such a strong draft. He also has some positional questions on this roster since the frontcourt is so loaded already. Shockingly, he goes ahead of his two Michigan teammates (Aday Mara and Lendeborg), both of whom most had rated higher throughout the draft cycle. Obviously, you wonder how much influence newly hired coach (and former Michigan head coach) Dusty May had on all this.

ESPN: B+

Johnson’s relentless energy as a defender and rebounder was crucial to Michigan’s NCAA championship run, and he has tried to expand his scoring profile by experimenting with a 3-point shot. If that progress sticks, this pick could look amazing in hindsight. Dallas desperately needed more young talent to reorient its roster around last year’s No. 1 pick, Cooper Flagg, and Johnson fits the bill as a player who can capitalize when defenses load up on Flagg.

Bleacher Report: D

Despite this likely being the Dallas Mavericks’ best chance to pair Cooper Flagg with a star given the ownership and swaps of their future first-round picks, the Mavs ignored their biggest need. Flagg and Dereck Lively II should be viewed as the franchise’s frontcourt moving forward, especially if the latter can stay healthy. Dallas suffered from horrible guard play all year and needed a playmaker to help set the table for Flagg, not force him out of position. Johnson, although a good defender, is limited offensively and is going to need to take a frontcourt spot. With Brayden Burries going one spot later and a run of four potential All-Star guards in front of them, the Mavs should have done all they could to move up a spot or taken the Arizona product instead.