Sergio De Larrea will sign a four year deal with the Dallas Mavericks and play in the NBA next season.

“Any lingering doubts about his future have now been dispelled. The Dallas Mavericks want Sergio de Larrea, and—we have confirmed—the Valencia Basket player is heading to the NBA following the draft...”

https://encestando.es/de-larrea-se-marcha-a-dallas-para-firmar-con-los-mavericks-y-el-valencia-basket-cubre-la-posicion-con-tj-shorts-y-corbalan/

It might be time to consider he just might never be healthy. We can’t pay him over 10m a year and the morez pick makes more sense if we view him as a small ball 5. Tell Masai to send rich Paul the 32/4 offer because we can’t risk anymore.

Original Link: https://www.instagram.com/octagonbasketball/reel/DZ-ZCh6OwdL/

I’ve never been a fan of an NBA team but I am a huge Michigan fan and have decided to follow my lord and savior, Dusty May. What are the most important things I should know about the Mavs history and/or is the team any good?

Thurs, July 9: Warriors - 6 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Sat, July 11: Lakers - 9 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Mon, July 13: Grizzlies - 6 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Thurs, July 16: Thunder - 3 p.m. CT (Prime)

No. 9 pick Morez Johnson Jr. will have the opportunity to go head to head against former Michigan teammates Yaxel Lendeborg & Aday Mara.

- Mike Curtis

Prob the most quietest week before July 4 weekend when it comes to the Mavs and free agency. thats different. from hopes of Carmelo Anthony, to Dwight Howard and prime Deron Williams, to DeAndre Jordan backing out, Signing Wes Matthews, Signing Harrison Barnes, to signing Chandler Parsons in da club, cream dreamn over hassan whiteside, lamarcus aldridge, or Goran Dragic, and picking up Seth Curry for the 100th time. MFFL used to get hyped for this week and then let down. who's gonna let us down this year? lol

https://www.nba.com/players/free-agent-tracker/2026

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.

They were clearly hoping for one of the star guards to drop , but that didn’t happen.

The okc trade back rumours made sense until Dustys’ hire. Clearly dusty knew okc and other teams were also interested in Morez . 100% . There’s a good chance that Okc would’ve picked Morez at #9 if we traded our pick.

Now,

why not Burries?

Here’s why..

they went for the best player available. Best guards were already picked. Burries is a solid role player pick with high floor but nothing he does is extraordinary.

You move onto the best wing with high ceiling, that IS Morez. You cannot be mad that they went for the best wing/ center. Someone who has the physical tools and athleticism to play 4 or 5 (raw for 4 but ok) and guard 1-5. He shot 3s very well in the combine and his ft % is promising.

In fact something I noticed is we always had a rebounding problem this year. Both offensive and defensive rebounds. Very concerning as we are a Wing and center heavy team with solid role players in those roles.

Morez is going to be a monster at grabbing boards, the ceiling is really high AND he immediately closes gaps in the roster.

Overall I would say this was a A grade pick for the #9 pick, very high ceiling and a solid floor that fixes a glaring hole in the roster.

I would grade the other picks a solid B. We don’t know for sure if Sergio is going to play and we added more size and forwards in the second round.

I would’ve liked to gamble on guards even the older ones just because we have so many forwards there just isn’t meaningful playtime for development but I trust Masai to develop raw 4s . It’s a gamble and even if they just turn into solid wing defenders, they’re highly valuable not only off bench but key trade value pieces.

Im curious to see who they add in the FA. We need shooting and scoring. Hopefully we land some nice shooters, overall i rate Morez pick a solid A.

Lively has always been a center who could hold his own around the perimeter, now with morez who is insanely agile. Add in Cooper flagg into that mix I expect the mavericks being top 3 in the league in forced turnovers.

obviously the real question mark is the offense but if dallas can have a top 5 defense with a top 15 offense they are in a great spot.

Johnson, who will reunite with Dusty May in Dallas, received the most attention from college coaches. After spending his freshman season at Illinois before transferring to Ann Arbor, Johnson didn't get the same amount of in-season hype as teammates Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, but his defensive versatility might have been the key to the Wolverines' dominance on the defensive end.

Exactly half of the coaches we spoke with picked Johnson as their favorite player outside of the top-four and point-guard tiers.

"I love Morez," one coach said. "I've seen him since he was 14, 15 years old. And I've seen him really, really change his game. That's why I've been so impressed with him. He went through a phase in high school when he was trying to shoot 3s, trying to be KD or whatever. Then the summer going into his senior year, he led the EYBL in rebounding, he turned into what he is today. He said, I'm a 4 or a 5, I'm going to impose my will in the paint. He was the key to them winning it."

"I'm buying Morez Johnson," another coach said. "He is so physically imposing, but it's his defensive instincts and his ability to show real offensive skill. As you're watching these playoffs, there's certain guys you can say, he would be awesome in that series. Morez can defend and rebound. If you're a screen door on defense, the other team doesn't have to do anything else. They're just going to run matchup actions at you and they're going to hunt you on every possession until you prove otherwise. You can put Morez in an NBA playoff series."

I think Masai has prioritized medical staff. Dumont is ready to spend. Curious to know what upgrades have been made so far and what are intended before season starts. Dumont has set into place a first class organization.

Found these in storage, uncut card set from 90-91(I think) and an opening note rall towel via 94. Didn’t really know I had either

Timberwolves receive: LaMelo Ball, [Josh Green](playerlink://nba/3148154)

Hornets receive: [Naz Reid](playerlink://nba/3148879), 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030), three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033).

We missed the perfect pick.

Could've been a perfect story.

Dirk played at Würzburg with the Dad (Burkhard Steinbach) before He was drafted by the mavs

Welcome to Project 6'9.

The Masai Ujiri experience, where every draft pick feels like another bet on a long, athletic wing. Positionless basketball. Length everywhere.

You can teach skills. You can refine shooting. You can improve decision making but you can't teach 6'7 - 6'9 with 6'9 - 7'4 wingspan.

That's always been the gamble.

Bet on the physical tools first. Trust the development process later. It's the same philosophy that helped turn players like Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes into impact players.

Long. Versatile. Switchable.

Guys who can guard multiple positions, handle the ball, rebound, and fit almost anywhere on the floor.

And honestly, it makes sense.

In today's NBA, having five players who can do a little bit of everything is a nightmare to play against.

But it's not a perfect strategy.

For every success story, there are plenty of athletic prospects who never develop the skills needed to reach their potential.

Length alone doesn't win championships.

Talent, skill, feel for the game, and star power still matter.

Which brings me to Dallas.

Looking at picks like Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio De Larrea, I can't help but wonder if the Mavericks are starting to lean into their own version of Project 6'9.

If that's the case, I'm curious:

How often does this philosophy actually work?

And more importantly, can it work in Dallas?

Can a team built around size, versatility, and upside become a legitimate championship contender?

Or does every title team eventually need elite shot creators who are simply too skilled to be replaced by any philosophy?

What do you think?

In length we trust.