Mavericks' Cooper Flagg plan quietly reveals their dream draft target

With the regular season winding down, the Dallas Mavericks need to begin to focus on losing games to better position themselves in the draft lottery and to pair Cooper Flagg with a future co-star. Fans have tossed around many names as dream candidates to pair alongside Flagg, but Mavericks' co-general manager Matt Riccardi may have quietly hinted at the type of player the Mavs will target in June's draft.

Caleb Wilson has long been a prospect that NBA teams have salivated over, and may be the perfect man to pair with a young Flagg. He is a defensive, team-first product from the University of North Carolina. He has quickly become one of the top four names in the pre-draft process, before breaking his thumb just before conference tournaments and March Madness tipped off, which may have dinged his draft stock.

Caleb Wilson embodies what Mavericks want next to Cooper Flagg

"We want guys that embody what the gentlemen you just mentioned embodies, which is the toughness, the high-IQ players, unselfish, hard-nosed defenders, care about the team more than they care about themselves," Riccardi said last month.

Not only does this statement already cross a few names that would fall right into Dallas' projected draft spot, but it quite literally points at who the Mavericks will be looking to surround Flagg with in the future, outside of just this year's draft.

In just his freshman season, Wilson averaged an impressive 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game on a 57.8 shooting percentage from the field. Wilson made a name for himself as a two-way demon who focused more on getting his teammates in a better position rather than himself getting the best look. While the Tar Heels' season hasn't been perfect, Wilson has stuck out as a true leader on a veteran roster.

By no means have the Mavericks been linked to Wilson or any other name in the pre-draft process, but Riccardi's statement still reveals much more than fans thought it would. Dallas will be looking for hard-nosed defenders and players who put the team over themselves when it comes to the players they want to put around Flagg.

Mavericks want a tough-minded culture over flashiness around Flagg

Having a two-way star of Flagg's capabilities automatically makes roster building that much easier. He already crosses multiple defensive concerns off the board, and while his offensive game is still a work in progress, the Mavericks already know the type of players they want to build around their 19-year-old star.

The Tar Heel standout already embodies what Dallas needs, and his toughness could go a long way when paired with another defensive stud such as Flagg or Dereck Lively II. Wilson may be shut down for the remainder of the season, but plenty of scouts will be watching how he bounces back just in time for the Draft Combine and other offseason workouts.

The Mavericks still have a long way to go before they can begin to hone in on who they want in the draft, but Riccardi's comments are a sign that the team wants to put the right type of players next to Flagg and their other young products.