Dealing With The Devil: Should Dallas Trade Down In The Draft With Oklahoma City?

Oklahoma City is exactly where Dallas wants to be. The Thunder have a clear star, in reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They have the perfect types of talent around him to accentuate his strengths and have created a juggernaut. But all that talent comes at a cost, and the Thunder will have to make some decisions by the draft. Should they consolidate picks and cut some of the talent further down their bench to help financially? One of the most popular scenarios, and one that makes a lot of sense, is trading with the Mavericks. The Thunder own the 12th and 17th picks in the 2026 draft. The Mavericks own the 9th and 30th. Is it time to make a deal with the devil?

How did the Thunder get here?

The Thunder, as widely disliked as they are (at least around here), have built its team from the ground up through the draft. Gilgeous-Alexander came over in the Paul George trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. That trade included a slew of picks that are paying off for the Thunder, particularly the 2022 first-round pick that became Gilgeous-Alexander’s all-star running mate in Jalen Williams. Chet Holmgren was also selected in the 2022 draft, as he’s turned into an anchor defensively, being the runner-up for the 2025-2026 Defensive Player of the Year Award. But all that talent comes a heavy price. The Thunder are paying all three of their stars each over $40 million a year over the next five years. That’s about 75% of their cap space. Oklahoma City, if they keep this roster going into next season, would be $41 million over the first apron and $28 million over the second. They need to shed salary. And Dallas may be the perfect suiter.

What deal makes sense and how would it work?

The Mavericks are in dire need of guard help. This draft is loaded with star-quality talent, particularly towards the top. Dallas holds the 9th pick and will likely have options among guys like Kingston Flemings, Brayden Burries, Darius Acuff Jr. Mikel Brown Jr., and Labaron Philon Jr. If there’s one thing we know about Masai Ujiri, he’s had a keen eye for draft prospects. The former Toronto Raptors president selected names like Pascal Siakam (27th pick in 2016), O.G. Anunoby (23rd pick in 2017), and Scottie Barnes (4th pick in 2021). He’ll need to do his homework on who he wants this time around, because Dallas might want two bites at the apple in the top 20.

There are a couple different routes the Mavs could take with the 9th pick. Of course, they could keep it if they felt it were too risky to slip any further than 9th to make their selection. Names like Kingston Flemings, Darius Acuff Jr., and Mikel Brown Jr. probably won’t be available at 12, so if the Mavs are set on one of those guards, they should stay at nine. If Dallas wants to look at making a deal, here’s how the framework could look.

Scenario 1: Thunder consolidate and Mavs aggregate.

The simplest scenario is for the Thunder to send their 12th and 17th picks to the Mavs for the 9th pick. No frills and straightforward. Oklahoma City will still need to do some significant consolidation with their roster before the season starts, but one simple move is sending two picks for one. The Thunder get a top 10 talent, and the Mavs get two swings in the top 20. In this scenario, Dallas most likely wouldn’t have to include the 30th pick, meaning they would have three picks in the first round: 12, 17, and 30.

Scenario 2: Thunder help the Mavs with depth

If Dallas is enamored with someone who could fall to 12 (most likely Burries or Philon Jr.), they could package that 9th and 30th picks to the Thunder in exchange for the 12th and 17th picks, as well as another rotation guy to help Oklahoma City shed salary (like Isaiah Joe or Aaron Wiggins), who both largely fell out of the rotation for the Thunder in this year’s playoff run. The Thunder don’t necessarily have to include extra salary to make the deal work, but it would make sense for them and the Mavs could add more wing shooting and depth.

Another player worth watching is Cason Wallace, who the Mavericks drafted in 2023, and traded to the Thunder for Dereck Lively II. Wallace has developed a reputation as one of the best defenders in the NBA and he’s only 22. If the Mavericks part with the 9th pick, they could drive a hard bargain for Wallace. It would be much more difficult for them to pry away Wallace, but he would be an ideal fit in Dallas, and the Mavs could use his perimeter defense.

The 17th pick presents a whole new opportunity for the Mavs. Some options that could be available then could be names like Allen Graves (6’9 forward who can shoot the lights out), Karim Lopez (6’8 forward with a 7’ wingspan and two-way monster), and Dailyn Swain (6’8 athletic forward who can get downhill and great slasher). If the Mavericks traded that 9th pick, the 17th pick could be the big payoff, adding more athleticism and youth around Flagg.

There have been rumors centered around P.J. Washington in a Thunder deal, but Oklahoma City isn’t in a position to take on any more significant salary. For now, this type of deal would be centered around the Thunder optimizing talent, while the Mavs collect as much of it as they can.

Looking ahead

The draft is less than a week away and there will likely be a flurry of moves that happen both leading up to June 23/24 and on the draft nights themselves. What will dictate a deal is who the Mavs center their attention around at the guard position. Is it more worth it to optimize a singular pick in this draft or get multiple opportunities at top 20 talent in a loaded draft? We’ll find out in a few days.