Nico Harrison is creeping toward a Mavericks trade disaster to kick off Flagg era

After what feels like months of waiting, the Dallas Mavericks are now just days away from changing the course of history and selecting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft. From the second Flagg stepped onto a college court, fans realized he was a different kind of specimen, but it wasn't until he knocked his private workout with the Mavericks out of the park on June 18 that Dallas realized just how special he was.

One of Flagg's biggest critiques as a player entering the draft was whether his shooting would translate to the pro level. While Flagg still has yet to step foot on an NBA court, after his workout, it's clear to see that his shooting can quickly become a strong suit of his game. Additionally, Jason Kidd was quick to compare Flagg's game to Grant Hill, who had a superb ability to play make despite being a taller forward.

While playmaking and shooting can easily become a strong suit for Flagg's game as early as his rookie season, Nico Harrison still must do everything in his power to find a guard on the open market or trade market that would become a stop gap replacement for Kyrie Irving, while he remains sidelined with an ACL injury.

Mavs must avoid any trade for Jrue Holiday before it kills Flagg era

Finding an Irving replacement could be the hardest task of the offseason, but if the Mavericks wish to still be afloat in the Western Conference standings, it's imperative that Harrison finds a guard who can become the primary ball-handler for at least half of the season. Many names have jumped off the board to Maverick fans despite the market being so bad, but one name that has risen in the rankings over the last few weeks has been Jrue Holiday.

According to Jake Fischer's Bleacher Report live stream, the Mavericks have shown "preliminary" interest in a trade with the Celtics for Holiday. To some, this might sound like great news, considering he is the perfect defensive stop-gap guard that Dallas needs while Irving is out, but what many fans have quickly realized is that the price may be too great to try and get a player of Holiday's capabilities.

Maverick fans know all too well what Holiday is capable of, considering they got a five-game dose of the Boston Celtics at full strength and Holiday clamping down on anyone he was matched up against. While this version of Holiday on the current Mavs roster would be a match made in heaven, this past season revealed that Holiday has lost a step athletically due to his age and offensive firepower dropping.

Holiday is still without a doubt an impactful player, but considering he is set to make $32.4 million next season and his contract is ascending over the next three years, it may be best for the Mavericks to stay away. Holiday is without a doubt a Harrison-type player because of his defensive antics and ability to be a plug-and-play in just about any situation, but the cost for acquiring Holiday may be too steep for the Mavs.

It's very likely the Mavericks would only need to deal away one player in this trade, considering the Celtics are trying to shed salary to avoid the second apron for a second straight season, but there's a high probability the Celtics would be asking for P.J. Washington in return. Washington isn't just a young emerging forward in the NBA that the Mavs can use in a later run to the Finals, but Boston will likely be trying to avoid any draft compensation as they try and get off Holiday's overpriced contract.

If the Mavericks do find themselves with an offer of Holiday for Caleb Martin and a future first-round pick, or possibly even more second-round picks attached, this very well could become an enticing deal for the Mavericks to make. While it's unclear what the exact asking price for Holiday is because of his age and contract, the Mavericks would be in a bind with three years left on Holiday's deal and him having $37.2 million in the last year of his contract.

With Flagg soon joining the roster, the Mavericks should be looking for as much future flexibility as possible, and this Holiday trade would automatically lock Dallas in for a three-year relationship they might want to avoid.