The most shocking truth about the Dallas Mavericks rebuild is that they cannot do it. Most teams with a young superstar wait years to get better. They tank games to get high draft picks. Dallas cannot do this. Masai Ujiri, the new president of basketball operations, says the team must play good basketball right now. This is a huge problem for a young squad that usually needs time to grow.
According to The Smoking Cuban, Ujiri discussed this difficult situation during a recent “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” episode. He knows the team does not own its own future first-round picks. They do not have the 2027 pick at all. The picks for 2028 and 2029 are tied up in swaps. This means Dallas cannot draft a star to play next to 19-year-old Cooper Flagg the way San Antonio did with Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs reached the NBA Finals by picking five of their top scorers. The Mavs simply do not have that luxury.
No Lottery Tickets Left
Ujiri laid out the hard math for the fans. The team cannot wait for a miracle lottery win. They cannot trade their future assets to get better because they do not own them. This forces a different path. The front office must hope for late-round luck or make big trades to find a running mate for Flagg. It is a high-stakes game of chess with no extra pieces to lose.
Most rebuilds rely on the draft to fill the roster. They bring in players on the same timeline as their star. That plan is dead in Dallas. The lack of draft capital creates a massive hole that Ujiri must fill with smart moves. He knows tanking is off the table for two reasons. The lottery odds are flattened by new rules, and the team does not own the picks anyway. The goal is to get back to the playoffs, not to chase a top-three pick that does not exist.
A Fresh Start for Risacher
Despite the draft headache, Ujiri has a clear plan for the young players already on the roster. He wants to let them play and grow in real games. This is exactly what Zaccharie Risacher needs after a tough second season in Atlanta. Risacher was benched in three of the Hawks’ six playoff games last year. He needs patience and minutes to bounce back. The new vision in Dallas fits his needs perfectly.
“We are grooming young guys and we are going to let them play and let them grow,” Ujiri said. “That’s very important for us.” The franchise cornerstone, Cooper Flagg, is only 19 years old. It makes sense to give young players like Risacher real NBA minutes. They cannot develop fully in practice. They need to play against pros to learn. Risacher has started the last two preseason games, even over Max Christie. In his latest game, he recorded 16 points, three rebounds, one steal, and one block. The team is ready to let him spread his wings.
Rookie Sergio De Larrea is also showing he belongs. He started his career with 11 points and six assists in his first game. He followed that with nine points and seven rebounds in the second game. He looks ready for rotation minutes right away. Ujiri and coach Dusty May are building a culture where young talent gets a chance. The draft problem is real, but the path forward is clear. The Mavericks must win now, and they must trust their kids to do it.