Mavericks' upcoming first-round pick is quietly becoming a serious problem

With so many players who were originally mocked to get selected in the first round electing to return to college, one of the Dallas Mavericks' first-round picks is quickly dropping in value.

Why Dallas' late first-round pick is suddenly a problem

Their own lottery pick, which currently has the eighth-best odds of receiving the first overall pick, remains a coveted asset that any team would love to have. This is the pick that they'll be looking to find Cooper Flagg's co-star with, and fans can't wait to see where they end up in the draft lottery on May 10.

Conversely, the first-round pick that they received from the Washington Wizards as part of the Anthony Davis trade is tanking in value fast — and they may be forced to trade up on draft night if they want to land a second impact player on day one of the draft.

This pick was originally owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder, meaning Dallas will pick at the very end of the first round since OKC finished with the NBA's best record for the second season in a row. This is where the problem starts, and so many talented players foregoing the NBA Draft to stay in school is bad news for Dallas.

A few names include Braylon Mullins out of UConn and Thomas Haugh from Florida. Both players were projected to be first-round picks, and with the Mavericks set to end night one on the clock, they may be forced to move up if they want top-tier talent.

If Dallas ends up with the No. 8 pick following the lottery, they'll almost certainly take a guard with that selection. Someone like Kingston Flemings, Keaton Wagler, or Mikel Brown Jr. would make sense to give them the backcourt depth that they need.

Why a draft night trade may be the Mavericks' only way out

But later in the night, when they're looking to double-dip and find another player who can join the young core alongside Flagg, it's going to be much more challenging. The fact that Mullins, who was once expected to be a lottery pick, is going back to college tells you everything that you need to know.

NIL is changing everything about college athletics, and players who were once projected to be second-round picks will soon be climbing into the first round. This is exactly what the Mavericks don't need, and it may be why they ultimately decide to trade up from pick 30.

This isn't to say that there won't be talent available at the end of the first round, given how talented this year's draft class is, it'll just be harder to find someone who will be ready to contribute on day one.

Dallas doesn't own another first-round pick until 2028, making this year's draft extremely important. They have to strike gold on both selections to give Flagg the best chance to succeed, and a trade may be needed to give them the best shot at doing this.

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