The Smoking Cuban
FanSided

A Top Two Pick Could Change the Dallas Mavericks Outlook

By Kohl Rast

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 15: NBA Draft Prospect, Deandre Ayton poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Combine circuit on May 15, 2018 at the Intercontinental Hotel Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 15: NBA Draft Prospect, Deandre Ayton poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Combine circuit on May 15, 2018 at the Intercontinental Hotel Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The NBA Draft Lottery is less than an hour away and the Dallas Mavericks are hoping (along with all the other lottery teams) for a top pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. How much could a top two pick change the outlook for the Mavs?

The Dallas Mavericks have a chance to put together a pretty great NBA team. With the growth of Dennis Smith Jr. already under way and the solid two-way play of Harrison Barnes, there are already steps in the right direction for the Mavs future. This year’s first round draft pick assumes to be another big piece to the puzzle for a team that appears to be years away from finishing their rebuild as opposed to months.

That said, there is a clear cut top tier in the NBA Draft this summer. DeAndre Ayton and Luka Doncic have been two of the top three selections in a vast majority of the mock drafts from around the sports world. Both players have All-Star potential and could be real game changers immediately.

For this reason, the Mavericks rebuild could change shape if they land one of these two players in the draft. As opposed to building for the future after Dirk Nowitzki, could the Mavs instead be aiming for sending Dirk out with a bang, contingent on this draft pick? I think that is a very real possibility.

Most people are going to be upset about this, but with DSJ and either Doncic or Ayton in the core of your team, the idea of one more lottery pick already becomes a little less of a guarantee. I think the Mavs would be making the right move if they decided to make a playoff push in 2018-19. This is especially true in my opinion because it would draw the eyes of those free agents who want to join young talent.

Next: Three Things to Watch For in the Draft Lottery

The Mavs direction is hard to tell so far. They haven’t made the proper moves to compete, but they never seem to be out of the conversation when it comes to free agency. Either way, there is no doubt that Dallas would be incredibly lucky to end up with either DeAndre Ayton or Luka Doncic.