Grade the trade: Mavericks trade back in the draft and acquire walking highlight reel

The 2023 NBA Draft is just five days away and the Dallas Mavericks have to make the right move.

The 2022-2023 season was one of the more disappointing seasons in recent memory, and the Mavs have to get right back on track. One way they can do that is with their first-round pick in the draft.

Dallas tanked their final two games of the season last year to have better odds of keeping their draft pick, and they succeeded. They landed the 10th pick at the NBA Draft Lottery, but now they have to figure out what they want to do with it.

Grade the trade: Mavericks trade back in the draft and acquire walking highlight reel

At first, it seemed like Dallas would trade out of the draft entirely. People were speculating that they should put a package together for a player like OG Anunoby or Jarrett Allen, but now it seems like they aren't going to land a star-caliber player by trading their draft pick.

Signs are pointing to Dallas trading back in the first round while gaining an asset. Some rumored trades have been Bojan Bogdanovic and possibly the No. 31 overall pick for Tim Hardaway Jr. and the No. 10 pick. This trade is not ideal for the Mavericks, but it is a move that they could consider.

A more recent rumored trade from Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer has Dallas trading back to pick 15 while gaining a player that has career averages of 15.8 points, eight rebounds, and one block per game.

Here we grade the trade for both sides and discuss why or why not the Mavericks should make this move.

Dallas acquires John Collins

The proposed trade from Fischer sends Davis Bertans and the No. 10 pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for John Collins and the No. 15 pick. This trade is much better than the proposed trade between Dallas and Detroit, as Dallas only trades back five spots while gaining a valuable rotation piece.

Collins is in trade rumors almost every season and has even been rumored as a Mavericks' trade target in the past. This move rids Atlanta of his long, expensive contract while picking up a shorter, less expensive contract. Atlanta also gets to trade up in the draft to take a better prospect.

Collins is set to make over $75 million over the next three seasons, and Atlanta seems ready to move on. They probably regret signing him to that massive extension, and Dallas is a team that needs frontcourt help. This trade gives them that while getting rid of one of the league's worst contracts.

This trade allows Dallas to add a young piece to their core through the draft while gaining a veteran asset that can start on this team. This is the type of trade Dallas will be looking for, as they can't afford to not pick in this year's draft. They need a young player to add to their core, as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's futures with the team are uncertain.

Here's a look at grades for both Dallas and Atlanta if they decide to make this trade.

Grading the trade for the Atlanta Hawks

This trade truly helps both teams and Atlanta would be happy to trade into the top 10.

John Collins has been in so many trade rumors, and there's no way that can be easy on him. He's known that his team has been unsure about him for multiple seasons, and giving him a fresh start would benefit both Atlanta and Collins. He has been in Atlanta for six years, and things don't seem to work anymore.

Although Collins had a great first three seasons in the NBA, the last three seasons have not been the best. In Collins' first three seasons, his points per game went up every game. He went from averaging 10.5 points per game as a rookie to 21.6 points per game in his third season.

His trajectory looked like it was going in the right direction, so Atlanta signed him to an extension after his fourth season. Since signing the extension, his game has gone downhill.

He went from averaging 17.6 points per game in his fourth season to 13.1 points per game last season. Collins has also typically disappeared in the playoffs. His points per game averages in the playoffs have always been lower than the regular season.

This isn't me trying to take away from his game, as he is a solid starter in the NBA and would be the third-best player on the Mavericks if they re-sign Kyrie Irving, but his performance has regressed.

Atlanta trades up in the draft while shedding a contract and gaining a shooter off the bench in Davis Bertans. Although Bertans didn't play much last season, he has proved he can contribute when needed, as he did in the 2022 NBA Playoffs for Dallas. He can hit threes in bunches and isn't unplayable yet.

Potential starting lineup: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Saddiq Bey, Clint Capela

Atlanta gets a C+ for this trade as it seems they could get a little bit more for Collins, and they are taking back a bad contract with Bertans.

Grading the trade for the Dallas Mavericks

This trade allows the Mavericks to add some much-needed frontcourt depth while staying in the draft. Dallas needs youth badly, and this trade with Atlanta allows them the chance to draft a coveted prospect at pick 15.

Dereck Lively II also has the chance to fall to pick 15 and would be able to compete for the starting center job for the Mavs.

If things work out in Dallas' favor in the draft, they could end the night with a new starting power forward in John Collins and a new center in Lively II. It would be ruled a success and flip the page in Dallas' "DP era" (Dwight Powell starting at center).

After discussing Collins' regression on the previous slide, it's time to talk about the good things he can bring to the Mavs.

He would be one of the more athletic players on the team and a reliable pick-and-roll partner for Luka Doncic. He is an elite dunker that would bring excitement to the American Airlines Center. Collins puts people on a poster often and is fearless as he soars toward the rim.

He also can pop, but his shooting numbers have regressed every year since his third season. He went from shooting 40.1 percent from three last season to 29.2 percent last season.

Dallas could help him get back to being a good shooter, and his previous shooting numbers should intrigue Dallas as they've helped players improve as shooters in the past. He would be an upgrade on the current roster, but his contract could turn out to be really, really bad if his game doesn't take a step in the right direction next season.

He would help the Mavs' rebounding, but doesn't help their defense much.

Potential starting lineup: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Reggie Bullock, John Collins, Dwight Powell

The Mavericks could also throw Lively II into this starting lineup, but he may not be available at pick 15.

Dallas also gets a B for this trade, and they should be careful before making this move. Collins' contract isn't good and will limit what the Mavericks can do in future free agencies, especially with the new CBA.