Mavericks are one outcome away from changing everything for the Cooper Flagg era

The Dallas Mavericks will have the eighth-best odds to secure the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, after the coin toss between them and the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, but landing even a top-four pick could make the Mavericks a contender once again.

This coin toss didn't affect Dallas’ chances at landing a top-four selection or even the No. 1 pick, though, and moving up in the lottery would change everything for Dallas.

While Dallas will ultimately only have around a 29 percent chance of landing inside the top four of this draft, the Mavericks could be totally revamped as a franchise if they landed a top-four pick in this year’s draft class. Even if Dallas may be drafting another wing or big man to go alongside Cooper Flagg, such as AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, or Caleb Wilson, they’d be landing a player with true superstar potential to go with Flagg.

Why a top pick in this draft would make Dallas contenders again

On paper, this is the deepest draft class since 2018, and Mavericks fans are salivating at the notion of lightning striking two years in a row for the franchise in the NBA Draft Lottery. Dallas could still undoubtedly find a great talent in the top 10 of this draft, but landing one of the top four prospects could take them to new heights as a franchise rather quickly following the Luka Doncic trade.

Inside the top four, Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson is probably the best fit with Flagg, given he can play in between Flagg and Irving, and is a bona fide three-level scoring threat that plays both sides of the ball.

But fit aside, Dallas should go for whoever the best player is if they were to land anywhere inside the top/four, as the current expected top four of Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer, and Wilson would all make great complements to Flagg, and are skilled enough for the fit to be figured out down the road if it became an issue.

There are only 20 more days till the draft lottery, and while Mavericks fans will definitely hold hard feelings over the organization’s decision not to tank in a clear-cut fashion down the stretch of the season, should Dallas not move up in the lottery, the possibility of Dallas even landing another future superstar is wild to think about.

A top pick in this draft would change everything for the Mavericks

The Mavericks seemed stuck in the mud following the Doncic trade, and now they’ll have a fully healthy Kyrie Irving, a second-year Flagg, and potentially one of the top talents in the 2026 draft class next season, headlining the roster.

If Dallas were to move up in the lottery this year, it could be deja vu to how the San Antonio Spurs transformed their franchise by landing Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle in back-to-back drafts, as this is the type of impact getting two consecutive high draft picks could do for the Mavericks.

Who knows if Dallas were to even come close to contender status next season, but if they were to land a top pick again, they’d at least have a puncher’s chance on paper to be in the contender neighborhood if health permitted, which is insane considering they just finished the season at 26-56.

Dallas has the foundation of a solid roster on paper, but injuries derailed them once again this past season. However, adding one decent free agent, a top pick in this draft, as well as Irving back into the mix, could totally shift how next season goes.

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