Mavericks should take a bold draft-night gamble to pull off this risky rumored trade

The Dallas Mavericks are in search of signing, trading, or drafting another point guard to help fill the void while Kyrie Irving is recovering from his ACL injury that he suffered last season.

The Dallas Mavericks are interested in trading into the first round (to secure an additional first-round pick) to most likely draft a guard.

Although the Mavericks need to add another guard to their roster, there's a way they can do this while also not using a secondary first-round draft pick to select a guard and drafting a player who plays a different position.

Mavericks should explore this Gafford trade on draft night

With Daniel Gafford being a fan favorite when it comes to mock trades so far this season, there is one particular potential trade that could help benefit the Mavericks in multiple ways that involves trading Gafford on draft night.

With the Mavericks in need of a playmaking guard to fill in for Kyrie while he's out, a player they could get for a good deal is Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball. Dallas has been in trade rumors for Ball already, and with Dallas' need for more guard help, he would be a great fit.

With Gafford's value being obviously higher than Ball's, the Bulls would most likely have to throw in their 12th overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, making the framework of the deal include Gafford heading to Chicago with Ball and the No. 12 pick coming back to Dallas.

Ball has missed significant time throughout his career due to multiple left knee injuries, but it seems as if he could be on an upward trajectory and have a fresh start coming into the 2025-26 season.

The best way to describe Ball's style of play is being the glue guy.

Ball is able to facilitate, hit shots, and guard the best player on the opposing team. What Alex Caruso has been able to provide for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season is something Ball could potentially do for the Mavericks in the future.

Not only would Ball be a great asset for the Mavericks to have on the court, but that 12th overall pick would be just as valuable. With the NBA Draft coming up in less than a week, there has been a lot of movement in mock drafts.

Although Nico Harrison had said the championship window was three to four years when the Mavericks first traded away Luka Doncic, that has changed since they landed the first overall pick in this year's draft. Mavericks assistant general manager Matt Riccardi has even publicly spoken about how their championship window has expanded even more since landing the pick. With that being said, trading for a late lottery pick would be very beneficial for this team to start building a young core around Flagg.

In this year's draft, there are many centers that will be available near the 12th overall pick.

The first player that sticks out, who may not even fall to that range of the draft, is Derik Queen. Queen, a 6-foot-10 center from the University of Maryland, has the best offensive potential upside out of any big man in this year's draft. Queen averaged 16.5 points and nine rebounds per game in his freshman season. Offensively, his talent is ridiculously good, but with slower feet, he was exposed a lot in his shorter collegiate career. It should also be noted that Queen and Flagg shared the court together in their final year of high school basketball at Montverde Academy.

Another prospect that sticks out is Joan Beringer, a French center currently playing in the ABA league. Beringer's stock has shot up a lot in the past few weeks, and he is someone the Mavericks should be intrigued by. Beringer is 6-foot-11 without shoes, with a wingspan of around 7-foot-4. Beringer is an athletic freak with a lot of defensive upside, but is offensively limited. His style of play at a young age is very similar to what Dereck Lively II looked like just a few years back.

Last but not least, potentially the most intriguing prospect of them all, Thomas Sorber, a 6-foot-9 center without shoes with an absurd 7-foot-6 wingspan. Sorber suffered a left foot injury in February that he is still recovering from, so he hasn't been able to work out for teams. Sorber, the freshman from Georgetown, is a pure stud. He averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Sorber is a defensive menace with high IQ shot-blocking. Offensively, he has some of the best footwork in this year's draft and will be a steal for whatever team that ends up selecting him.

Although the Mavericks must prioritize their guard situation due to Irving's injury, it would be quite interesting to see if they could land Ball and a potential center in this year's draft to kill two birds with one stone.