Less than a year ago, the Dallas Mavericks were in the NBA Finals. Now, in a little over a month, GM Nico Harrison has led the team to an almost unprecedented implosion.
He gift-wrapped Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, getting Anthony Davis, who’s injury-prone and six years older, in return. Now, both Davis and Kyrie Irving are injured.
The fans are absolutely livid, and rightfully so. As such, getting the best prospect in college basketball might be the only way to appease them. With that in mind, Vishwesa Kumar of Fadeaway World argued that they need to go out of their way to land Duke star Cooper Flagg.
The Dallas Mavericks should tank
“At the moment, the Mavericks are outside the range of serious contention for the No. 1 pick. But if they slide into the sixth-to-eighth-worst record range, their lottery odds improve dramatically. Currently, they have just a 1.0% chance to land the top pick, a 1.1% chance at No. 2, a 1.2% chance at No. 3, and a 1.4% chance at No. 4. They are overwhelmingly likely (92.9%) to end up with the 13th pick,” explained Kumar. “However, if they drop into the 6th-worst record range, their odds would skyrocket. The sixth-worst team in the lottery has an 8.3% chance to land the No. 1 pick and an 8.6% chance at No. 2.”
Cooper Flagg could save the Mavericks
Flagg isn’t like the average NBA prospect. He plays hard on both ends of the floor, and the Mavs’ front office has prioritized defense, so he clearly fits their vision:
“Cooper Flagg is the exact kind of generational talent that Dallas needs. A dominant defensive force with the potential to be an elite two-way player, Flagg would fit perfectly into general manager Nico Harrison’s vision for the team,“ he wrote.
Needless to say, this sounds like a long shot at this point, and that might be the case. Then again, we’ve seen crazier things happen in the league, starting with the Doncic trade.