NBA Draft rumor gives Mavericks a shot at selecting dream point guard of the future

After falling to No. 9 in the NBA Draft Lottery, the Dallas Mavericks could be in jeopardy of losing out on a coveted guard prospect like Kingston Flemings or Mikel Brown Jr., but a recent rumor gave wind to the Brooklyn Nets (picking sixth) being interested in selecting Nate Ament, which would almost certainly give the Mavericks the opportunity to select Flemings or Brown Jr.

This rumor was posited in a recent ESPN article by Jeremy Woo, where he ranked the top 100 prospects in the draft. Woo had Ament as the ninth-best prospect in the class, but that doesn't mean he's going No. 9 overall, obviously. The Nets are loaded on guards, making it less likely they'd prioritize drafting someone like Brown Jr. or Flemings, and more likely they'd draft a big or wing like Ament.

Ament jumping to No. 6 is all Dallas needs to get Flemings or Brown Jr.

While the order of the top five of the draft isn't set in stone, it seems almost certain it will be some combination of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson, and Darius Acuff Jr. or Keaton Wagler. There's obviously the possibility Flemings or Brown Jr. jump into this range, but most analysts have them rated lower than Acuff Jr. and Wagler, and even if they did jump up, this would probably mean one of the other guards would fall to Dallas.

The biggest domino to fall that could help Dallas move up is clearly if someone like Ament gets selected earlier than expected, or even if a big man like Aday Mara jumps up, as this is plausible following his insane combine measurements.

If Dallas did get the opportunity to select Flemings, they'd be getting a dog at the point of attack on defense, as well as an explosive athlete that can create shots for himself and others. On the other hand, Brown Jr. would give Dallas a freakish athlete that can play both the one and the two, and while he may not be quite the playmaker or shooter as Flemings is, he's probably even a better finisher at the rim, and has the size to guard up if he can add some more muscle.

The Mavericks have no room for error at No. 9

Either of these players would be a dream selection for the Mavericks, especially given the fact that they've praised the Mavericks and the city of Dallas openly in pre-draft interviews. There's always a prospect who goes higher than expected in the top 10 of the draft every year, and whether it's Ament or someone else, it just takes one team taking a gamble for the Mavericks to likely get an opportunity to get their point guard of the future to pair alongside Cooper Flagg.

It won't be clear how any of this plays out till the actual day of the draft on June 23, but someone like Ament jumping to the Nets, for instance, could save the Mavericks from having to trade up to get a coveted guard like Flemings or Brown Jr.

The Mavericks can't afford to screw this pick up with having no control of their future first-round picks outside of this draft, so it would be a blessing if they could get a guard like Brown Jr. or Flemings, as the lottery didn't do them any favors this year in terms of finding Flagg's co-star of the future.

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