DHJ Quick Take: Mavericks Could Trade Down With Hornets in 2026 NBA Draft Proposal
ESPN floated a 2026 NBA Draft proposal that would send the Dallas Mavericks‘ No. 9 overall pick to the Charlotte Hornets for the 14th and 18th selections, a trade-down the front office is reportedly willing to consider.
- What’s the proposal? ESPN’s scenario swaps Dallas’ No. 9 pick for Charlotte’s 14th and 18th selections, with Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reporting the Mavericks are open to moving up or down for the right price.
- What’s in it for Charlotte? The Hornets need frontcourt size and could climb to grab Michigan center Aday Mara, the class’s top big man, after the 7-foot-3 Spaniard averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks during the Wolverines’ national title run.
- What’s in it for Dallas? Trading down would give the Mavericks two first-round picks in a deep class, with mid-first-round guards and wings available to address the roster’s biggest need.
- Should the Mavericks do it? The move only works if Dallas sees little drop-off from No. 9 to No. 14, and with Cooper Flagg on a rookie deal and a contention window to chase, standing pat for one higher-upside swing may be the safer play.
The Dallas Mavericks trade the ninth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to the Charlotte Hornets for the 14th and 18th selections in ESPN’s latest trade proposal.
Dallas is reportedly open to moving up or down in the draft for the right price, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. The Hornets are a team that could be interested in a move, with a pair of picks in the middle of the first round that could be used as ammunition in a potential trade.
Why the Charlotte Hornets Would Consider
Charlotte is in the market for a big man this June and the top center in this year’s class is Michigan’s Aday Mara. Last year, the Hornets rolled out Moussa Diabaté as their starting five with success.
After starting last season a paltry 11-23, Charlotte peeled off a 33-15 record to finish the year 44-38, its best mark since 2015-2016. Diabaté’s hustle and relentless energy on the offensive glass were key to the Hornets’ run, but at just 210 pounds and 6-foot-10, Charlotte could stand to add some depth to its center rotation.
Enter Mara, who averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.6 blocks while helping lead his Wolverines to a national title in April. The 7-foot-3, 240-pound Spaniard certainly addresses the Hornets’ lack of size. On top of that, Mara has excelled as a distributor from the center position, showing that he is someone that an offense can run through.
The collection of bigs in this year’s class doesn’t run especially deep, with Washington’s Hannes Steinbach the only other five-man seen as a top-20 talent. That lack of depth was compounded further with Italian-born Luigi Suigo withdrawing from the draft and opting to play next season at Villanova.
Given Charlotte’s needs and available options, trading up with the Mavericks could be a viable option, although it’s not certain Mara would still be available by the ninth pick.
Why the Dallas Mavericks Would Consider
From Dallas’ perspective, this move gives them two shots in a good draft. Although many names that have been thrown around in Mavericks trade circles (Brayden Burries, Kingston Flemings, Mikel Brown Jr.) likely won’t be available at the 14th slot in the draft, there’s plenty of guard depth to address Dallas’ position of need.
Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie, Alabama’s Labaron Philon, Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz and Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson are all considered mid-to-late first-round guards that the Mavericks could target with the 14th, 18th and 30th picks.
This move would also allow Dallas to take a swing at its choice of wings and forwards. Nate Ament of Tennessee, Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. of Michigan, Karim López of the NBL’s New Zealand Breakers, Cameron Carr of Baylor, Allen Graves of Santa Clara and Dailyn Swain of Texas would all be deserving of consideration should the Mavericks trade down.
If that sounds like a lot of options, it’s because it is.
This year’s draft contains a lot of talent up and down draft boards, so if Dallas comes away from the pre-draft process not seeing much of a gap from pick number nine to pick number 14, they might seriously consider a trade-down option like this.
What it boils down to, though, is quality or quantity. For all of the talent in this draft, there might not be a safer option for the Mavericks than to just stand pat and take one of Burries, Flemings or Brown.
At the end of the day, Dallas needs to focus on building around Cooper Flagg and do whatever it can to build a contender around him, and fast. This year’s San Antonio Spurs, despite falling short in the NBA Finals, have shown how valuable it can be to contend with impact players still on rookie contracts.
The Mavericks would be smart to follow suit.
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