DHJ Quick Take: Sergio De Larrea Signs Rookie Contract, Confirms Immediate Mavericks Arrival
Sergio De Larrea signed his rookie contract with the Dallas Mavericks on July 3, ending speculation that the Spanish guard would remain overseas for another season.
- Why does this matter? It confirms De Larrea will be part of the Mavericks organization for 2026-27 rather than staying with Valencia Basket as a draft-and-stash prospect.
- What did De Larrea accomplish in Spain? He won a Liga ACB championship, the league’s Best Young Player award and 2025 Spanish Super Cup MVP honors with Valencia Basket.
- What will the contract be worth? If he signed at the standard 120% rookie-scale rate, the four-year deal projects to a total value of $16.3 million.
- What’s next? Dallas opens 2026 NBA Summer League play against the Golden State Warriors on July 9 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks announced Friday that they have signed first-round pick Sergio De Larrea to his rookie contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. He will wear No. 55 for Dallas.
The signing closes the book on more than a week of speculation over whether De Larrea would join Dallas for the 2026-27 season or spend another year developing overseas. He will not be a draft-and-stash case. De Larrea, born Sergio de Larrea Asenjo on Dec. 4, 2005, in Valladolid, Spain, will play for the Mavericks’ 2026 NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas next week.
Dallas moved up in a four-team trade on draft night to acquire De Larrea’s rights, sending the draft rights to Koa Peat to the Phoenix Suns and the draft rights to 2024 second-round pick Melvin Ajinça, along with two future second-round picks, to the New York Knicks.
Mavericks general manager Mike Schmitz was noncommittal on De Larrea’s timeline as recently as late June.
“We are still working through all of that with Sergio,” Schmitz said in June.
Rookie Scale Numbers Point to Standard Deal
The vast majority of first-round picks sign for 120% of the rookie scale, which would put De Larrea’s first-year salary at $3.2 million. Projected across all 4 seasons at that rate, the deal would pay him $3.3 million in 2027-28, a $3.5 million team option in 2028-29 and a $6.3 million team option in 2029-30, for a total value of $16.3 million.
Those figures are projections based on standard rookie-scale slotting for the No. 25 pick.
Championship Season in Valencia
De Larrea averaged 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 17.6 minutes across 23 games for Valencia Basket last season, shooting 45.2% from the field, 42.9% from 3-point range and 81.8% from the free-throw line. He helped Valencia win the Liga ACB championship over FC Barcelona and was named the league’s Best Young Player. He also earned 2025 Spanish Super Cup MVP honors, averaging 18.0 points in that tournament to lead Valencia to their second Spanish Super Cup title in club history.
He also earned 2025 Spanish Super Cup MVP honors, averaging 18.0 points in that tournament to lead Valencia to their second Spanish Super Cup title in club history.
What’s Next
De Larrea joins a Mavericks Summer League roster in Las Vegas headlined by No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr. Dallas opens summer league play July 9 against the Golden State Warriors at Thomas & Mack Center, with additional matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder to follow.
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