Mavericks have a sleeper draft option to form a nasty duo with Cooper Flagg

Seemingly every mock draft has the Dallas Mavericks selecting a point guard with the No. 9 overall pick in next month's draft. Mikel Brown Jr., Kingston Flemings, and Brayden Burries are a few of the players who are often predicted to go to Dallas, but what if they defy all expectations and select Yaxel Lendeborg in the lottery to form a powerful wing duo with Cooper Flagg?

It's not impossible given Masai Ujiri's tendency to prefer versatile wings when building his teams, and drafting another elite frontcourt player to play alongside Flagg is too intriguing to overlook. They could even trade back to select the 6-foot-10 sleeper forward, and all options should be on the table when Ujiri and Mike Schmitz sit down to discuss potential players to draft in the first round.

Lendeborg's season speaks for itself

They have a clean slate to work with after parting ways with Jason Kidd earlier this week, and Ujiri has made it clear that every move they make moving forward will have their future at the center of it. Pairing Flagg and Lendeborg is the type of move that would give Dallas a monstrous tandem.

Lendeborg had an incredible season at Michigan, as he averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from downtown. The do-it-all forward was a huge reason that the Wolverines won the National Championship, as he averaged 18.0 points per game while shooting 46.7 percent from three.

He and Michigan took the basketball world by storm in March Madness, and Lendeborg cemented himself as one of the best forwards in college hoops. He'd have the chance to go much higher in the lottery if he weren't already 23 years old, but with the Mavs sitting comfortably at nine, they could select him there or trade back a few spots and collect some future assets before picking him.

Dallas needs more draft capital and young players to build a future contender around Flagg, and trading back to draft Lendeborg would help them do that. Not many people have him going in the top 10, but teams are going to regret sleeping on him.

He's worth the hype that he's getting, as his versatility on both ends, strength, shooting, and sneaky on-ball skills make him someone any team would love to have.

Why Lendeborg makes sense for the Mavericks

In Dallas' case, they would benefit tremendously from his positional size, ability to switch on defense, shooting, and connectivity, as these are all things that Flagg brings as well. Flagg's game will fit next to anyone due to his elite versatility, and adding Lendeborg to the mix would give them another strong wing who could turn into a star.

A core of Kyrie Irving, Flagg, Lendeborg, and Dereck Lively II would be the start of something special, and this doesn't include the potential assets Dallas could acquire in a trade-back situation. Having multiple advanced wings is important in today's NBA, and that's exactly what they'd have with Flagg and Lendeborg.

They'd be able to play off one another nicely, and Lendeborg's passing and 3-point shooting would make him a good fit around the team they already have in place. Dallas needs more shooting and playmaking, and Lendeborg doesn't struggle in either area.

Mavericks fans' pleas for a guard in the lottery make sense, but forming a terrifying wing duo with someone like Lendeborg shouldn't be all the way out of the picture either.

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