Mavericks are sabotaging the Cooper Flagg era before it even begins

The Dallas Mavericks have now won two games in a row, which would normally be great news, but not right now. The lottery standings are packed as ever, and if Dallas keeps stacking meaningless wins in February, their lottery odds will suffer.

The Mavericks indicated that they are fully focused on the future when they traded Anthony Davis and shut down Kyrie Irving, but their actions over the last two games haven't reflected this. They picked a direction by making these moves, but their other decisions haven't shown that the future is at the front of their minds.

Dallas must focus on development if they really want to bottom out in the standings and have optimal odds of landing a favorable lottery pick to pair a young star with Cooper Flagg, but they haven't shown any signs of tanking. Even with Flagg out of the lineup due to a foot injury, they're giving their other main players normal minutes.

The Mavericks have to tank for Cooper Flagg's sake — but won't

This year is the only time that Dallas fully controls their own first-round pick until 2031, and the higher they draft, the better. Drafting a co-star for Cooper Flagg should be their No. 1 priority as they enter this new era, and if they act strategically over the last 25 games of the season, it's a major possibility.

Teams around them in the lottery standings are doing this, such as the Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas has to follow suit. If they don't, they could find themselves picking around the No. 10 spot.

This would be a major disservice to Flagg and his future, as the drop-off in this year's class starts after about the eighth pick. The top of this year's draft class is loaded, and the Mavs picking somewhere in the top six, or even the top four, would be a franchise-altering opportunity.

The Mavericks moving up in the lottery and securing the No. 1 pick in last year's draft changed the entire trajectory of the franchise, and we could see similar results if they move up again this summer.

This year's draft class has multiple superstars at the top of the board, and Dallas can't afford to mess this up. Cooper Flagg's running mate for the rest of his career could be somewhere in the top four of this summer's draft, and they have to operate with this in mind.

The NBA has obviously cracked down on tanking, but this doesn't mean the Mavericks should be neglecting their young players and using regular rotations. Jason Kidd has been playing as if he wants to win as many games as possible, which is normal as a head coach, but the front office needs to step in and see the bigger picture.

Other teams have obviously passed this order down to their coaching staff, and it's the smart move. Mavericks fans know how well tanking can work, as it helped them keep their first-round pick in 2023, which turned into Dereck Lively II. Dallas can put themselves in an ideal position if they begin their tank now rather than waiting until the last minute.

The playoffs are not likely, and they have to pivot toward giving their youngsters as much playing time as possible. Historically for Dallas, it's uncommon not to be playing for the playoffs at this point in the season, and these reps for Dallas' young core will prove to be invaluable as they push toward being contenders again next season.

Cooper Flagg is clearly going to be a superstar one day, and now it's up to the Mavericks to put as many good players around him. Dallas is on his timeline now, and Kidd at least needs to see what he has in his youngsters before the season is over, rather than playing his high-end role players extended minutes.

Just last night, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, and Max Christie each played at least 29 minutes. On the other hand, AJ Johnson and Miles Kelly each only played one minute.

This would've been an easy fix that prioritizes lottery positioning and developing their young players, but the Mavericks aren't giving in. Dallas' strategy could prove to be dangerous if teams around them consistently drop games while they go on a winning streak, and they aren't utilizing one of the only loopholes that allows them to tank while also helping their young players improve.