While the Dallas Mavericks’ average three-point shooting (34.2%) isn’t the lone reason they’re 21 games below .500, it certainly hasn’t helped them succeed this year.
With the 2026 NBA Draft only being three months away, the Smoking Cuban’s Noah Weber believes the 2011 NBA champions could elevate their perimeter shooting production by reuniting Cooper Flagg with his 6-foot-6 ex-Duke sharpshooting teammate.
“Mavericks are positioned to steal Isaiah Evans late in the first round,” Weber wrote last Wednesday.
“The Mavericks were roasted at the time of the Davis trade due to the quality of draft picks they received, but having an extra first-round pick in this summer’s draft will be game-changing. The 2026 class is one of the strongest classes that we’ve seen in recent memory, and picking up someone like Isaiah Evans at pick 29 or 30 would be a major steal.”
“His game has advanced far beyond being just a three-point marksman, and his ability to play alongside Cam Boozer should have Mavericks fans dreaming of how he’d look next to Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg.”
Like Flagg, Evans declared for the 2025 NBA Draft following Duke’s devastating Final Four loss to Houston. The Fayetteville, North Carolina native averaged 6.8 points per game on 43.2% field goal shooting and 41.6% three-point shooting with the Blue Devils last year.
Unlike Flagg, though, Evans ultimately withdrew his name from the Draft and returned to Durham for another season.
As a sophomore, Evans has elevated his scoring while remaining a formidable long-range shooting threat thanks to his ability to attack undisciplined closeouts and make defenders pay for leaving him unattended in catch-and-shoot situations.
Evans is contributing 14.5 points with the Blue Devils in Year 2 while connecting on 42.6% of his field goals and 36.7% of his triples.
The 20-year-old’s impressive floor spacing and experience playing alongside Flagg would make him a near no-brainer late first-round selection for the Mavericks.
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