Mavericks sit in the perfect spot to find Cooper Flagg's star sidekick

While fans are aware the Dallas Mavericks won't be seeing the playoffs, March Madness has everyone watching to see who their next potential star will be. The Mavs are already in a great spot with great odds to secure a fresh, elite face in one of the most talented freshman classes ever at the 2026 NBA Draft.

The Mavs have a 75.5 percent chance of getting a top-seven pick in the NBA Draft with their current odds. Among the top prospects are Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff Jr., Cam Boozer, and Kingston Flemings. All of these young men are amazing talents to pair with Cooper Flagg and build a young core with the perfect superstar veteran, Kyrie Irving.

With the Mavs already guard-heavy, it would help to bring in a wing, but with Cooper Flagg able to play the one-to-four positions, it seems like the Mavs can make pretty much anything work.

Why many of the top prospects would fit perfectly with Flagg

Of course, it was a miracle to get Flagg in the first place, and the Mavs got away with a miracle in last year's lottery. Now, Flagg may be the best player to accommodate this year's draft talent thanks to his interchangeable ability to make almost any position work. The load of talent coming in can't be stressed enough, and the Mavs are in a great position to land a freshman star.

The most likely players to land with the Mavs seem like Acuff Jr., Wagler, or Flemings if the Mavs stay in the six-to-eight range of the draft. Any of these star guards would be an incredible fit alongside Flagg.

Wagler has an NBA-ready range and has already been shooting the ball as far as Stephen Curry on tons of occasions. His physicality will be tested, but if there's anything to say about the Illinois freshman from Shawnee, Kansas, it's that he can light it up from deep.

Acuff Jr. has a gift to get to any spot and knock down a shot. However, his defense has been a major concern. Acuff Jr. has a low steal percentage and a poor defensive rating, and it's a question mark for NBA GMs. Acuff Jr. is sometimes compared to Trae Young in the same way he shoots, and unfortunately, in the same way he plays defense. The Arkansas guard has plenty of game, though.

Kingston Flemings is similar to Acuff Jr., but has better defensive efficiency, averaging 1.8 steals per game. He finds his teammates and knocks down shots. Can he be the score-first guard we expect him to be in the NBA? There's a good chance he can be.

Dallas winning the lottery again would change everything

It was a miracle for the Mavs to get Flagg, but fans don't necessarily need to wish for anything like that this year.

Cameron Boozer and AJ Dybantsa already look like future NBA All-Stars. It's a 9 percent chance for the Mavs to get the top pick as things stand. Those are much better odds compared to 1.8 percent last year, and they have two obvious choices here if they win the lottery.

At 6-foot-9, 250 pounds, Boozer is already the same size as LeBron James and one inch taller. He moves more slowly than James, but he's already gifted on offense. Boozer, for his size, is already a brilliant shooter at Duke, shooting at nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Dybantsa is the whole package and a walking bucket anywhere on the court. Most mock drafts now have the BYU star as the top pick, and for Dallas, he should be the first name called if they get lucky in the lottery again.

Tons of options for Dallas to go here, but they need the perfect fit to match with Flagg for the long run.