Trade or Keep: Many Options Await Mavs Depending on Lottery Results
If the Dallas Mavericks stay at No. 10 in the NBA Draft order or move up into the top-four picks during Tuesday night's lottery drawing, they'll have many different roster-building options to choose from. They could draft a young, talented prospect from one of the deeper draft classes in recent history, or they could entertain a slew of trade options in hopes of adding more win-now talent as possible before next season.
There's also the chance that the Mavs could lose their pick if it falls below No. 10, as it would convey to the New York Knicks in order to complete the Kristaps Porzingis trade from 2019. But given that Dallas has already suffered enough from missing the postseason while watching Jalen Brunson show out for the Knicks in the playoffs, we're going to just focus on the favorable lottery outcomes for this particular exercise.
So, if the Mavs do keep their pick, the biggest question will be: should they keep it or should they trade it? It's a fascinating question that doesn't have a simple answer.
Due to a lack of young talent and limited future draft picks, many believe the Mavs should just select the best player available and be patient with the results. On the other hand, Dallas has a superstar in Luka Doncic who has made the All-NBA First Team four times in his first five seasons — tying legend Dirk Nowitzki’s team record — and he's capable of winning a championship right now if the correct pieces are put around him.
Yes, the Mavs need more homegrown, young talent on team-friendly rookie contracts, but they also need more depth across the entire roster – something that likely can't be achieved in one offseason without some lottery luck, plus a blockbuster trade. Doncic has stated that he’s happy for now and that fans shouldn’t worry about him asking for a trade, but the Mavs know the clock is ticking to build a true contender around their star before 2026 free agency.
If the Mavs are fortunate enough to win the No. 1 overall pick on Tuesday, one would think they'd take top prospect Victor Wembanyama and never look back. With that being said, though, could you imagine the magnitude of trade offers Dallas would receive in that scenario?
What if Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn't sign a contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks this summer and has an uncertain future all of a sudden? What's going to happen with Toronto Raptors' key pieces Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby? Will the Boston Celtics be open to moving on from Jaylen Brown due to his contract situation?
All of those potential scenarios and more have to be considered if the Mavs become the fifth-luckiest franchise in NBA history to secure the No. 1 overall pick. And some of those scenarios might still be viable options if Dallas gets any of picks No. 2-4 as well. Even if the Mavs stay at No. 10, they’ll face the same dilemma, albeit on a smaller scale.
No matter what happens on Tuesday night, anything is better than losing the pick. We’ll see if the Mavs can avoid that dark timeline with their horseshoe good-luck charm.
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