The Dallas Mavericks enter this draft with three first-round picks — their own at No. 9, plus the Detroit Pistons’ at No. 28 and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s at No. 30 — and Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley projects them to use all three to build a backcourt around Cooper Flagg. Buckley envisions Arizona guard Brayden Burries at No. 9, Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie at No. 28, and Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas at No. 30 — three consecutive backcourt investments that signal how urgent Dallas views its need for perimeter creation alongside its 20-year-old franchise cornerstone.

Burries is the headliner, and the fit argument is among the strongest in this draft. At 215 pounds — 25 to 35 pounds heavier than every other guard projected in this range — he brings physical toughness, defensive accountability, and a versatile scoring game that doesn’t require pick-and-roll creation to be effective. He can absorb off-ball minutes right away and punish opponents who don’t show him enough attention, which is exactly how Cooper Flagg needs his teammates to function: as pressure-relievers who make Dallas harder to game-plan against, not as co-stars competing for the same shots. Buckley notes that Burries is a natural stylistic fit with Flagg given their shared physicality and competitiveness.

The direct opportunity cost at No. 9 is Milwaukee’s Nate Ament at No. 10 — a 6-foot-10 Tennessee forward with MVP-upside buzz despite a difficult freshman season. Ament is a larger-ceiling swing; Burries is a more immediately deployable piece. Dallas, at 20-and-under in its cornerstone, doesn’t need ceiling swings — it needs players who can contribute around Flagg right now while the franchise builds toward contention.

At No. 28, Okorie is a scoring guard from Stanford with a quick trigger, a tight handle, and the ability to break down defenders off the bounce. He led the ACC in scoring with eight 30-point games and a reputation for hitting clutch shots — he was, until recently, a New Hampshire kid who committed to Harvard before Stanford found him. He’s more scorer than facilitator, but Dallas would have Flagg, Burries, and Randle (per the Kyrie Irving trade Buckley envisions) to handle ball movement. At No. 30, Thomas adds another bucket-getter with a deep-range shot and irrational confidence — the kind of player Buckley describes as someone who “plays within himself more than your typical quick-strike scorer.” Both players give Flagg live-wire scoring guards who stretch defenses.

CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein, Cameron Salerno, and Gary Parrish all project Burries to Dallas at No. 9, confirming the consensus around that pick. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor projects Karim López — the 6-foot-9 Mexican forward — to Dallas at No. 9, reflecting a different organizational priority under new president Masai Ujiri, who has historically favored drafting large, versatile forwards. O’Connor projects Jack Kayil at No. 30. For picks 28 and 30, only Bleacher Report tracks the full trade-adjusted structure.

The player selected immediately after the No. 30 pick in Buckley’s mock would be in the second round — but Dallas’s work is already done at that point, having addressed backcourt depth with three first-rounders at three consecutive price points.

What Other Outlets Are Projecting

Outlet	Projected Player
Bleacher Report	Brayden Burries, SG, Arizona (#9); Ebuka Okorie, PG, Stanford (#28); Meleek Thomas, PG/SG, Arkansas (#30)
CBS Sports	Brayden Burries, SG, Arizona (#9)
Tankathon	Brayden Burries, SG/PG, Arizona (#9)
Yahoo Sports	Karim López, SF, New Zealand Breakers (#9); Jack Kayil, PG, Alba Berlin (#30)

Three first-round picks spent on guards sounds like a bet against franchise efficiency — until you remember that Dallas’s path to a title runs entirely through Flagg’s ability to lead a functional offense, and that the Mavericks have not found a consistent perimeter creator alongside him since trading away their entire veteran core. Burries, Okorie, and Thomas give Flagg three different types of scoring threats to work with, each deployable in different lineups and game states. That kind of perimeter depth is what allows a young franchise cornerstone to win games before he’s ready to carry them alone.