NBA Draft Lottery: Who Should Represent Mavs in Chicago?
It's that time of the year for the Dallas Mavericks. No, it's not the Western Conference Finals this time, sadly. Instead, it's time for the NBA Draft Lottery, which will take place one week from today on May 16.
Missing out on both the playoffs and the play-in tournament all landed the Mavericks in the lottery for the first time since 2018, where they acquired Luka Doncic in a draft-day trade with the Atlanta Hawks. For this year's lottery, Dallas sits with the 10th best odds for the No. 1 pick, but there's a caveat – the Mavs' pick is top-10 protected from the Kristaps Porzingis trade with the New York Knicks in 2019.
Though the Mavericks sit with just a 3.0-percent chance of landing the No 1 overall pick and the chance to draft French phenom Victor Wembanyama, they hold a 13.9 percent chance of capturing a top-4 pick and 79.8 percent chance of keeping their pick no matter what.
While we wait for the ping pong balls to drop, there's one question that keeps ringing in our heads here at DallasBasketball.com: who should Dallas send to Chicago to represent the Mavs at the draft lottery?
The Longshots
Mark Cuban - Cuban is a busy man. And attending the draft lottery just seems to be a little below his pay grade. But, with the rights to Wembanyama up for grabs, the bossman might just decide to make an appearance.
Luka Doncic - I don't think the Mavericks could pay Doncic enough to fly home and attend the lottery. Maybe he'd consider it if Dallas' chances to land Wemby were a lot higher, but sitting with the 10th best odds? No shot.
Kyrie Irving - Now, you REALLY couldn't pay Kyrie to do this job. But if I had a pick just for the spectacle and potential drama, give me Irving all day.
Jaden Hardy - Could Dallas' rookie from this season get the nod? It seems unlikely, but the second-round pick proved to be a true asset for the Mavs going forward, so why not try to carry some of that momentum into the lottery? After all, Hardy would likely be a lottery pick himself if the NBA decided to do a 2022 re-draft.
Patrick Mahomes - The reigning Super Bowl MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion is a huge Mavericks fan. I mean, why not?
Tony Romo - The only way this one is acceptable is if he shows up in his full Mavs uniform from the 2017 regular season finale.
Dalton Trigg - When you think positivity and optimism surrounding the Mavericks, the first name that comes to mind is DallasBasketball.com's own Dalton Trigg. Don't rule it out, Mavs.
Donnie Nelson - Oh, wait ... nevermind.
The Real Contenders
Dirk Nowitzki - The cornerstone of the franchise. The GOAT. When the Mavs need some luck, No. 41 is the guy you lean on, right? Maybe the Big German could be Windy City bound next week. One thing is for sure, he has some extra time on his hands compared to the last time the Mavs were in the lottery.
Michael Finley - Finley has represented the Mavericks in their last two lottery appearances in 2017 and 2018 with some mixed results. Dallas secured the No. 9 pick in 2017 after having the ninth-best odds, and the No. 5 pick in 2018 after having the third-best odds. The move down in 2018 ended up not being a huge deal, as the Mavs ended up trading up to get Doncic anyway, but had they stayed at No. 3 or gone higher, they wouldn't have had to part ways with a future first-round pick.
Nico Harrison - This is Harrison's ship now and his first experience with the Mavs landing in the draft lottery. No matter what happens this time next week, being in Chicago to shake some hands and potentially have some early trade talk with opposing team officials would make some sense.
Cynt Marshall - The energy that Cynt gives off is always positive and inspiring, so who wouldn't want that at the draft lottery where all you really need is good luck and good vibes?
Prediction: Nico Harrison
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