Mavericks’ failed tank may have cost Cooper Flagg the co-star he needs

The Dallas Mavericks entered the NBA Draft Lottery with the eighth-best odds to land the No. 1 pick, but they fell to the ninth pick. Dallas could've moved up to the third pick had they tanked just a little harder toward the end of the regular season, as the Memphis Grizzlies passed them in the lottery standings by one game in the final week of the season, and ultimately moved up to the third pick.

This significantly hurts Dallas' chances to land Cooper Flagg the co-star and guard he needs for the future, as it won't be as easy to find a future star at pick nine compared to if Dallas jumped to the third pick in the draft, as Memphis did. The Mavericks aren't totally screwed by any means, as this is one of the deepest drafts in history, but this is extremely unfortunate considering how tantalizingly close Dallas was to moving up inside the top four for what would've been the second year in a row.

One late-season win may have ruined Dallas' lottery

Dallas really only tanked a few games, as Jason Kidd was contingent on staying competitive, despite Dallas being well out of the play-in race. This helped Cooper Flagg secure the Rookie of the Year award, as he had some electric scoring performances in the final two weeks of the season, but it ultimately hurt Dallas' draft position.

The Mavericks won three of their last nine games, and they also won their final game versus the Grizzlies on the road. Kidd rode Khris Middleton's hot hand en route to a 120-112 victory over the Grizzlies on March 12, a game in which Middleton finished with a season-high 35 points.

Had Dallas simply lost that game, or Middleton didn't save them by having his best game of the season, the Mavericks and Grizzlies would've been flip-flopped in the lottery standings, and Dallas would've had the sixth-best odds at the No. 1 pick. They theoretically would've jumped into the top three of this draft at that point just as Memphis did, and would've had the opportunity to select someone like Darryn Peterson, Caleb Wilson, or Cameron Boozer.

Finding Flagg's future co-star at pick nine is much harder now

Dallas can still land a solid guard or wing at pick nine, such as Brayden Burries, Yaxel Lendeborg, Mikel Brown Jr., or Karim Lopez. However, none of those players, besides maybe Brown Jr., have nearly as much upside as anyone inside the top eight of this draft. The possibility of landing any of the top guards in this draft, such as Darius Acuff Jr., Kingston Flemings, or Keaton Wagler, looks extremely slim now for Dallas, barring some wild slip on draft night.

If the Mavericks really like someone inside the top eight, they can always package their 30th pick along with the ninth pick to potentially move up a pick or two, but it would've obviously been easier for them if they simply jumped up in the lottery.

Hindsight is always 20/20, and no one can say for certain how the draft or who gets selected in the lottery will ultimately play out until down the line, but it certainly seems like the Mavericks should've taken tanking just the slightest bit more seriously down the stretch of the season at this current moment in time.

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