Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. arguably has more upside than any other point guard in the NBA Draft, and the Dallas Mavericks drafting him at No. 9 overall would be the steal of the draft. Mavericks fans have fallen in love with him after he said that Dallas was his favorite city following the NBA Draft Lottery, and his potential fit in Dallas is easy to envision.
Bleacher Report's most recent mock draft has Dallas selecting Brown Jr., and a massive Jaylen Brown trade helps them give there. Without this deal going down, Brown Jr. may not be a Maverick in this scenario.
A Jaylen Brown draft-night trade is what the Mavericks need
In this trade idea between the New Orleans Pelicans, Atlanta Hawks, and Boston Celtics by Zach Buckley, he has Brown heading to Atlanta, the No. 8 overall pick heading to New Orleans, and Trey Murphy III and other assets heading to Boston. This thrilling trade would set the NBA world on fire, and the Mavericks would be huge winners from it.
The details of this deal are a bit complicated, but it would directly help the Mavericks get the point guard they need to kick off the Cooper Flagg era. This year's draft has always been about what the teams in the 5-8 range do for the Mavericks, and this move would give them a shot to pull off the best value move of the draft: selecting Brown Jr. ninth.
A clear case can be made that he's the best point guard prospect in the draft due to his sky-high upside, and the tape doesn't lie. At 6-foot-5, Brown Jr. can light up the scoreboard with his strong 3-point shooting and ambidextrous finishing around the bucket. His passing is also excellent, and he has all of the tools to be a future star in the NBA.
It's hard to find any holes in his game, and this is why there's a case for him to be the first player drafted outside of the top four. It seems unlikely that he'll fall to No. 9 outright without any movement in the top eight, and this move by Bleacher Report would be a major gift from the basketball gods.
The less guards drafted in the top eight, the better
In this trade idea, the Hawks, who currently own the No. 8 pick, send it to the Pelicans while bringing in Jaylen Brown. This would be incredible news for Dallas, as the Hawks could very likely select Mikel Brown Jr. if he's still on the board when they're on the clock. Atlanta needs guard help, and Brown Jr. falling all the way to eighth would be a steal for them.
The beauty of this Jaylen Brown trade proposal, though, is that the Pelicans don't need a guard. They're the team that would trade up to eighth in this scenario, and since they trade Murphy III, they draft Nate Ament to bolster their wing depth. Ament jumping into the top eight is something that would help the Mavericks significantly, and this is a huge reason why Brown Jr. falls into their lap in this mock draft.
If Brown Jr. lands in Dallas, he would immediately become the second-best point guard on the team behind Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks' point guard play was among their biggest weaknesses last year, and it's essential that they fill this hole in the backcourt in the NBA Draft.
Brown Jr. would be a rotation player in Dallas right away
Brown Jr. would have the chance to start at shooting guard on day one, and his ability to play off the ball is among the reasons that he's such a tantalizing prospect. He has the size to play either spot in the backcourt, and his 6-foot-7.5 wingspan, combined with his quickness and effort on defense, will make him a great fit next to Cooper Flagg.
Flagg is among the best young defenders in the NBA, and adding another former ACC player with great athleticism alongside him would give the Mavericks an excellent foundation to build around.
Brown Jr. has the makings of an elite guard, and Mavericks fans would be thrilled if they can get their hands on him. This Jaylen Brown trade idea turns this dream into a reality, and Dallas can only cross their fingers that a blockbuster deal like this goes down on draft night.
