Michigan’s Morez Johnson Jr. celebrates during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament national championship game against UConn at the Final Four, Monday, April 6, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Michael Conroy/AP
The Dallas Mavericks selected Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. with the No. 9 pick in the NBA draft Tuesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
With the selection, it’s clear the Mavericks prioritized versatility and length and believe the 20-year-old will become the “difference-maker” they need, as new general manager Mike Schmitz told The Dallas Morning News last month.
The Washington Wizards selected AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick, followed by Darryn Peterson to Utah at No. 2, Cameron Boozer to Memphis at No. 3 and Caleb Wilson to Chicago with the fourth pick. The LA Clippers picked Keaton Wagler with the fifth pick, followed by Brooklyn’s selection of Mikel Brown Jr. at No. 6, Darius Acuff to Sacramento at No. 7 and Kingston Flemings to Atlanta at No. 8.
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The first eight picks of the draft were accurately projected by several national mock drafts, but the Mavericks’ selection of Johnson was the first shake-up since he was projected as a late lottery pick.
Johnson joins a Mavericks team headlined by Cooper Flagg, the Rookie of the Year and last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick.
Johnson helped the Wolverines post a 37-3 record last season en route to a national championship. In 40 games, he averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks for Michigan, which won its first title in 37 years under new Mavericks coach Dusty May.
The 6-9, 250-pound wing aligns with the archetype of many of Masai Ujiri’s former No. 1 draft picks, a versatile forward who plays physical and can excel on both ends of the floor. He was efficient at the rim in college, finishing 62.3% of his field goals as a sophomore at Michigan. His addition will provide Dallas with another strong defender, especially in the frontcourt next to Flagg and Dereck Lively II.
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The Mavericks entered Tuesday’s draft with some intrigue surrounding their plans for the No. 9 pick, especially after naming a new head coach. All three of May’s former Michigan players – Johnson, Aday Mara, and Yaxel Lendeborg – were in Dallas’ range for this selection. Lendeborg went 11th to Golden State and Mara was selected with the 12th pick by Oklahoma City.
“I think he had a little bit to do with it, but not that much,” Johnson said in an interview with ESPN. “We’re the Michigan Mavs now.”
Despite May’s hiring, this draft belonged to Ujiri and Schmitz. Their first pick as the Mavericks’ lead front office executives was critical as they try to build a roster around Flagg.
It’s imperative that Ujiri and Schmitz are right with the selection of Johnson, which is the team’s most valuable draft pick for the next five years since they don’t own control of their own first-round picks until 2031 because the previous regime under Nico Harrison traded away first-round draft capital to build around Luka Doncic.
Many league observers believed guard depth was a priority for the Mavericks, who passed on Arizona guard Brayden Burries, a combo guard who went to the Milwaukee Bucks one pick later at No. 10.
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Tuesday marked the fifth time in franchise history the Mavericks selected at No. 9. They used the ninth pick to draft Rolando Blackman in 1981, Dale Ellis in 1983, Samaki Walker in 1996 and Dennis Smith Jr. in 2017. Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the ninth pick in 1998 before his draft rights were traded to Dallas in exchange for the sixth pick, Robert Traylor.
This is the first draft since 2021 featuring all 60 picks, with the second half to come Wednesday night. In each of the last four, at least one team was stripped of a second-round pick for violating free agency rules.
The Mavericks (Nos. 9, 30 and 48) are one of 11 teams with at least three picks in this year’s draft.