The clock starts for the Dallas Mavericks to kick off the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York.
Adam Hunger/AP
Mike Schmitz arrived in Dallas with a laundry list of priorities, none more important than preparing for his first NBA draft as general manager of the Mavericks.
There’s a poetic sense of purpose associated with the timing of Schmitz’s hiring, since the draft is how he established his reputation. From his early days as a scout for Draft Express to his time with ESPN as a draft analyst, Schmitz has built his career on evaluating talent and using data, intel from around the NBA and the eye test to predict the success prospects could have in the professional ranks.
Schmitz has spent most of the last three weeks learning about everyone in the Mavericks’ organization, including players, coaches, scouts and members of the medical staff. He also found a home for his growing family, including a baby scheduled to arrive in October.
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On Friday afternoon, he was escorted from room to room at American Airlines Center to make the rounds with several local media outlets. He spoke to The Dallas Morning News about several topics, including his journey from scout to NBA executive and the challenge of managing a limited cabinet of draft assets as the Mavericks try to build around budding star forward Cooper Flagg.
Schmitz and team president Masai Ujiri have 25 days until they’re on the clock with picks Nos. 9, 30 and 48. The general manager didn’t describe the type of player he’s looking for at No. 9, but he was quite clear on the results he expects.
“It’s about just finding a difference maker at 9,” Schmitz told The News. “It’s not about a big or a guard or a wing. Year after year, you see prospects who don’t go one, two, three or four who end up as high level contributors. That’s the exciting part of the draft and that’s our challenge, is to find a difference maker at 9, and we love that range. We’re really, really excited about the level of player that we can get there. And just the optionality of having 9, 30, 48 is super exciting for us.”
Players who national draft experts have projected the Mavericks could select at No. 9 if available include dynamic guards such as Mikel Brown Jr., Brayden Burries and Keaton Wagler. All three would address Dallas’ need for an additional ballhandler and secondary scoring.
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Take a look at Schmitz’s X account, which is inactive these days, and you’ll find scouting videos of several former NBA prospects who’ve become All-Stars and reliable rotation players, including San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams, Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels, Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard and Denver’s Peyton Watson.
This year’s draft is vital for the Mavericks because it’s the last time they’ll own full control of their first-round pick until 2031. Dallas’ three selections represent a stark difference from the situation with Portland, Schmitz’s former team. The Trail Blazers do not own any picks this year, stemming from previous trades. Dallas acquired the No. 30 pick from the Washington Wizards in a midseason trade for Anthony Davis, a selection that originally belonged to the Thunder.
Schmitz appeared enthusiastic about the possibilities with the No. 30 pick.
“Any opportunity for us to get better, we’re gonna be excited about,” Schmitz said. “Just to have different tools and optionality. To have 9, 30 and 48, coming from Portland, we had no picks, right? So to go from that to now having three in this draft is really exciting. Just having tools to get better is all you can as for and I feel we have that.”
Three picks across both rounds, including two first-rounders, gives the Mavericks flexibility to pursue or listen to trade proposals from rival teams. It doesn’t necessarily mean the Mavericks have to trade those picks, but they have the option. They might be tempted to because they’ll have a full roster if they re-sign their unrestricted free agents, but keeping all four — Marvin Bagley III, Khris Middleton, Dwight Powell and Brandon Williams — seems unlikely. If they clear the decks, they could add three players to the roster and still have room for one more player if they keep all three draft picks.
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The Mavericks held several predraft workouts with players this week, and Schmitz’s main responsibilities centered around refining their process when hosting prospects.
“What do draft workouts look like? What do we do from the moment a prospect walks in the door to the moment they leave town? And detailing all of that,” Schmitz said. “And then really diving into just our evaluation process and looking at the draft as a whole. It’s gonna be an eventful month, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Next month’s draft marks Schmitz’s first test as a GM, but his track record as a talent evaluator suggests it’s one he’s studied for his entire career.