The Mavericks will reunite Morez Johnson with his former head coach, having selected the Wolverines forward with the No. 9 overall pick after officially announcing the hiring of Dusty May earlier in the day.

An Illinois native, Johnson began his college career with the Fighting Illini, but transferred to Michigan for his sophomore season and had a big season for the Wolverines, averaging 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game while knocking down 62.3% of his field goal tries.

Johnson claimed a spot on the All-Big Tean second team, as well as the conference’s All-Defensive team, and helped Michigan earn its first national championship since 1989. The 6’9″ forward established himself as a first-round pick over the course of the Wolverines’ 37-3 season and improved his draft stock further during the pre-draft process, registering a 7’3.5″ wingspan and an 8’11” standing reach at May’s combine.

While he’s somewhat undersized for the five and doesn’t have a dynamic offensive game at this point in his development, Johnson is a tough, athletic, and versatile player who has proven to be a winner, notes ESPN’s Jeremy Woo. Besides winning a national title with the Wolverines, he earned gold medals with Team USA at the 2024 Under-18 AmeriCup and the 2025 U-19 World Cup.

More to come…