Mavericks' chance to land Cooper Flagg's perfect co-star just got real

The Dallas Mavericks moving up in the NBA Draft Lottery is something that every Mavs fan wants, so the team can find a running mate for Cooper Flagg. Their route to landing the perfect co-star is opening up thanks to Darryn Peterson's declining draft stock.

Peterson has had an incredible season at Kansas, averaging 19.7 points per game while shooting over 40 percent from downtown, but the injury concerns have NBA decision-makers worried about the 19-year-old's future in the NBA.

Darryn Peterson's draft slide could be Dallas' dream scenario

NBA insider Marc Stein chatted with a talent evaluator for one of the teams in the lottery recently, and they stated that they wouldn't take Peterson (subscription required) with the No. 1 pick due to his "question marks." Peterson's inconsistent availability has definitely been a conversation among NBA personnel over the last few weeks, and him falling in the draft would be excellent news for Dallas if they're eyeing the 6-foot-6 guard.

While multiple league sources have told The Smoking Cuban that Peterson is still viewed as the consensus No. 1 pick over the last few weeks, they've also made it clear that there are now significant discussions being had. His recent unreliability could prove to be a red flag entering the predraft process, and Dallas may have a chance to capitalize on this.

As things stand, Dallas has the seventh-best odds to receive the No. 1 overall pick. They are just three games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans for the sixth-best odds and 3.5 games in front of the Utah Jazz for fifth. Some extra losses for the Mavericks, combined with Pelicans and/or Jazz wins, could propel Dallas even higher in the lottery standings, giving them an even better shot at drafting Darryn Peterson.

The Mavericks are going to have to jump into the top three at the very least if they want to get their hands on Kansas' star guard, and according to current odds, they have a 23.1 percent chance of doing so. If they move up to sixth place in the lottery standings, their chances jump to 27.6 percent.

This year's stacked draft class is why so many Mavericks fans want them to tank for the rest of the season, and if they play things smart, they could find themselves having a great chance to move up in the lottery again. Peterson isn't falling outside of the top three by any means, no matter how concerned NBA personnel are for the time being, but these worries could ultimately help Dallas in the end.

Why Darryn Peterson would be a star for the Mavericks

With how their roster is constructed, landing someone like Peterson could be exactly what they need to become a playoff team again. Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II are set to return at the beginning of next season, and drafting someone like Peterson would give the Mavericks one of the scariest young starting fives in the Western Conference.

Dallas could roll out a lineup of Kyrie Irving, Darryn Peterson, Max Christie (or P.J. Washington), Cooper Flagg, and Dereck Lively II, and their young core would immediately go from a question mark (outside of Flagg) to extremely promising. Peterson is the type of player that would change everything for the Mavericks, and he and Cooper Flagg would form one of the scariest young duos in the NBA.

When talking about Peterson's potential fit next to Flagg in recent weeks, one anonymous scout ruled it the best of any of the other players in the top four of the draft (AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, and Caleb Wilson).

Flagg needs as much shooting and scoring around him as possible, and if Peterson's freshman year at Kansas has proved anything, it's that he is a gifted three-level scorer who can light it up from downtown. Scoring comes so effortlessly for him, and he and Flagg would balance each other out well.

Peterson also competes on the defensive end, and he has all the tools to be a two-way star — just like Flagg. Dallas would be thrilled if they could get their hands on someone of his caliber in the 2026 NBA Draft, and his stock beginning to sink is the first step in making this dream a reality.