2026 NBA Draft Thread

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#101      
the juiceman cometh
Fly Illini Fly! said:
From their POV, they wouldn’t have gotten Morez had they traded back. At least would’ve been super risky.

Let’s say you trade with OKC and they take Mara at 9 …. MIL at 10 takes Burries.

How do you know GSW won’t take Morez? Coming into today, Morez’s draft stock was thought to be higher than Yaxel (who’s pre draft interviews / workouts / intel was questionable for a lot of teams).

IMO, your argument would work better with GSW for taking Yaxel (who goes ahead of Mara, Steinbach, Ament). If they had traded down to 14 or 15, it’s very possible (likely) they still would’ve ended up with him.

…..

FWIW, Dusty had always thought of Morez as the anchor/leader of last year’s Michigan team. Yaxel when he got there had some lethargic personality moments, often cited as he didn’t know “how to work.” But Morez was the barometer of the locker room. His effort was never in question.
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Look, if the Mavs thought Morez was the best player available that's one thing.

But if they didn't and just drafted him because he "fit" better, which is what you suggested, then that's dumb. There are other ways to get a player that fits your system and personnel. The NBA draft, and this is particularly true the higher in the draft you're talking about, is purely about extracting maximum value. A better player, or a player that is more valued by the rest of the league, even if he doesn't "fit" as well, can be used as a valuable trade chip.
 
#103      
the juiceman cometh
SescIllini said:
Dusty May had influence on who they chose. Could have gone with Mara, Morez or Yaxell. May chose Morez, he saw them closely over the last 9 months. Regarding trading down, not always worth the squeeze and you need to find a taker and be certain your pick isn't taken by someone else.
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Letting your new HC with zero NBA experience override the opinion of literally every scout in the entire league based on his own personal feelings:

bold GIF
 
#104      
Red77sng
Morez goes to Dallas at #9. Shocker! Lol. Considering AD can't stay healthy I expect Morez to be slotted in at the 5 quite a bit.
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Who’s AD
 
#106      
Mobi
SescIllini said:
Dusty May had influence on who they chose. Could have gone with Mara, Morez or Yaxell. May chose Morez, he saw them closely over the last 9 months. Regarding trading down, not always worth the squeeze and you need to find a taker and be certain your pick isn't taken by someone else.
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IMHO, Dallas should have traded down for Morez. They really wanted him.
 
#108      
PleaseMakeABowlGame
the juiceman cometh said:
Difference between Acuff/Wagler is scouts are split on who is better. Just because Jay Bilas likes Acuff more doesn't make it any consensus.

Don't think I've seen one mock draft or scout in this entire process that had Morez over Mara. Maybe the Mavs scouts did. If so that's fine. But if they took him over fit despite thinking Mara would be the better overall NBA player, that's dumb. That's when you trade back, or draft the better player and then trade him.
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Well, if they traded down, then you run the risk of Morez (who was obviously their guy because, well, they picked him) getting selected by the next 1 or 2 picks and never falling to you again.

People just want to dislike Morez. His stock was higher than many think. Floor was thought to be Charlotte at 14, and was getting consideration as high as Atlanta at 8.

#9 is perfectly reasonable. It's just some people figured Mara to be the better option. Doesn't mean Dallas saw it that way.
 
#109      
Frank
the juiceman cometh said:
Difference between Acuff/Wagler is scouts are split on who is better. Just because Jay Bilas likes Acuff more doesn't make it any consensus.

Don't think I've seen one mock draft or scout in this entire process that had Morez over Mara. Maybe the Mavs scouts did. If so that's fine. But if they took him over fit despite thinking Mara would be the better overall NBA player, that's dumb. That's when you trade back, or draft the better player and then trade him.
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I like the Morez pick more knowing Dusty came in and presumably had at least a positive reaction knowing they’d take Morez first of the Michigan bigs. I mean, from a player prototype standpoint, how different is Morez from Caleb Wilson? They’re both long, bouncy bigs with a ferocious playing style that have shown some, but limited, capability shooting from range. I get why Wilson went higher of course and is viewed as having a higher ceiling (I like that pick for the Bulls). But I wouldn’t say it’s crazy to draft one of those guys 9th and not raise an eyebrow about the other at 4.
 
#112      
Deacon05
Morez had a chip on his shoulder you don't see too often. Should be a great culture guy for toughness and willing to do the dirty work. I can see why Illinois didn't try to keep him given his perimeter shot and fit, but he was for sure worth it for Michigan and his improvement was impressive. Can't argue with a natty.
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Didn't try to keep him? He was signed and agreed to another NIL deal before he bolted?
 
#115      
Fly Illini Fly!
Mobi said:
you might be right. Perhaps Morez's stock is this high. For me, I would pick Yaxel before Morez.
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Yaxel's pre draft workouts / interviews / Intel from previous stops wasn't near as strong as Morez.

Going into the day, the thought was Mara / Morez / Yaxel in terms of highest to lowest draft stock. It ended up being Morez / Yaxel / Mara.

I do think Morez's stock was higher than most people here think.
 
#118      
mysterio2525
Mobi said:
you might be right. Perhaps Morez's stock is this high. For me, I would pick Yaxel before Morez.
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I tend to agree but in the world of wemby I'm curious if mara isn't the best choice. he can pass and defend and is 7'3. put him next to AD and that's a killer front court defense.... if you think mara can translate
 
#119      
TentakilRex
I tend to agree but in the world of wemby I'm curious if mara isn't the best choice. he can pass and defend and is 7'3. put him next to AD and that's a killer front court defense.... if you think mara can translate
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AD? Thankfully the Mavs traded his brittle butt. Then again Jebe Se Nico for the AD trade in first place.
 
#120      
Oranges
mysterio2525 said:
I tend to agree but in the world of wemby I'm curious if mara isn't the best choice. he can pass and defend and is 7'3. put him next to AD and that's a killer front court defense.... if you think mara can translate
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I believe the thinking is it’s hard to out tall Wemby but you can throw some strong 6”9 dude at him to throw him off his base and just wear him down
 
#121      
NarrowJ
Keaton is just such a baby, physically

Really gave Bambi vibes all season while still putting together a historic season for a freshman

If anyone needs me I will be over here riding my hot take that once the physical part happens he's going to be one of the best players in the world
 
#122      
EmeraldCityIllini
Wonder if the Lively experience in Dallas is coming to an end.

In 2026, I don't think you can roll out a Lively, Morez, and Flagg 3-5 shooting lineup. But on the other hand, consider me quite skeptical Morez at 6'9" can be a true defensive anchor 5 man in the NBA if Dallas moves on from Lively/Gafford.

Candidly, I'm shocked. I'd think you want to give Flagg as much spacing as possible. But maybe May just loves the player and roll the dice it works out some way
 
#123      
Mobi
mysterio2525 said:
I tend to agree but in the world of wemby I'm curious if mara isn't the best choice. he can pass and defend and is 7'3. put him next to AD and that's a killer front court defense.... if you think mara can translate
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you are right. I would have picked Mara, too. But end of the day, Wemby is a beast and Morez is not KAT. It's hard to say which front court player is a better Wemby stopper.
 
#124      
Fly Illini Fly!
EmeraldCityIllini said:
Wonder if the Lively experience in Dallas is coming to an end.

In 2026, I don't think you can roll out a Lively, Morez, and Flagg 3-5 shooting lineup. But on the other hand, consider me quite skeptical Morez at 6'9" can be a true defensive anchor 5 man in the NBA if Dallas moves on from Lively/Gafford.

Candidly, I'm shocked. I'd think you want to give Flagg as much spacing as possible. But maybe May just loves the player and roll the dice it works out some way
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In the NBA, Morez is a 4.
 
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