The Smoking Cuban
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Dallas Mavericks: Who Will Be Available at Number Six?

By Kohl Rast

SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 02: Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats cuts down the net after defeating the Michigan Wolverines during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. Villanova defeated Michigan 79-62. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 02: Mikal Bridges #25 of the Villanova Wildcats cuts down the net after defeating the Michigan Wolverines during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. Villanova defeated Michigan 79-62. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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The worst case scenario for the Dallas Mavericks at the NBA Draft Lottery would undoubtedly be ending up with the sixth overall pick. At that point, the sure things will probably be gone and Dallas will be stuck with a little more guess work.

This NBA Draft has the opportunity to be a whirlwind of emotions for fans of a lot of different teams. The Dallas Mavericks have the third best odds to take home the number one overall pick, but that also gives them a chance to get the sixth pick.

Sounds terrible, right? Yeah, it is certainly not the worst situation the Mavs have ever been in, but there is a big drop off from third to sixth in this draft class. Here are the presumed players that would be taken ahead of number six.

The first, second, and third overall picks would have to go to one of the teams behind Dallas from the 4th to 14th pick. As of now, the top three players in the draft are DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic, and Marvin Bagley III. Those three would almost assuredly be gone by the time Phoenix would pick at 4th.

The Suns biggest hole is definitely at the center position. A couple solid bigs will still be available but the Jaren Jackson Jr. hype is in full swing and I believe that Phoenix will take a swing for the high upside that Jackson has.

AUSTIN, TX – JANUARY 27: Mohamed Bamba #4 of the Texas Longhorns prepares to shoot a free throw against the Mississippi Rebels at the Frank Erwin Center on January 27, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX – JANUARY 27: Mohamed Bamba #4 of the Texas Longhorns prepares to shoot a free throw against the Mississippi Rebels at the Frank Erwin Center on January 27, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

After that, the Memphis Grizzlies will make their pick. They still have Marc Gasol under contract and will be looking to add a guard or forward into the mix. The Michael Porter Jr. situation would be their best hope, but if he doesn’t work, they could easily take a shot on another high-risk, high-reward player in Trae Young.

That would give the Mavs an option for someone like Mo Bamba, who has likely been high on their board, or a solid wing like Mikal Bridges. These are nowhere near as sure of a pick as Marvin Bagley III or DeAndre Ayton. Again, that is not to take away from what Bridges and Bamba are capable of, but with the way last season went for the Mavs, it would be frustrating to get a consolation prize.

Next: Dallas Mavericks: Should Jason Terry Get His Number Retired?

The draft lottery is coming up on May 15th and the Dallas Mavericks will finally be able to see where they are in the draft order. When that happens, we will have a much better chance to see what directions the team could go with.