What the Dallas Mavericks should do if they keep their pick

With the draft lottery now under a month away, teams will be nervously waiting to see whether or not the ping pong balls will fall in their favour.

One of the most intriguing lottery selections is that of the Dallas Mavericks. As many know, the Mavs used their fifth pick to acquire Trae Young in last year's NBA Draft, and then traded for Luka Doncic on draft night last season along with sending a top 5 protected future round 1 pick to the Atlanta Hawks.

After winning a few too many games towards the tail end of the season, Dallas slipped to the 9th best odds in this year's draft lottery. They will have a 6% chance of stealing the #1 pick, with a 26.2% chance of finding themselves in the top four, which would allow them to keep their pick.

Otherwise, the odds show it will most likely be a pick between 9th and 11th which will be sent to Atlanta. So here are the options Dallas should consider taking if they do end up at any of the top 4 spots.

Pick #1: Take Zion Williamson

This is an absolute no-brainer for anyone who finds themselves lucky enough to secure the number one pick in the draft in this lottery. Zion Williamson is, without a doubt, the most hyped up one-and-done player in the history of the NBA and any front office that refuses to take him will most likely be fired within a year.

Zion is exciting, athletic and a freak of nature. At 6'8, 225 pounds, Zion Williamson has the potential to become one of the greats of the NBA, and even though fellow Duke teammate RJ Barrett was the consensus number one pick going into this college season, there is now no question that it should be Zion.

With a 6% chance of landing the number one pick, taking Zion would leave Dallas with a young superstar core of Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis and Zion Williamson. That will also give them the cap room to sign another star to a max deal this off season, leaving them in potentially the best position the franchise has ever been in, outside the prime Dirk era.

Pick #2: Take Ja Morant

The Dallas Mavericks have a 6.3% chance of ending up with the second pick in this year's NBA draft. There has been a lot of discussion throughout the season about who should follow Zion Williamson and be the number two pick.

While you can make a case that RJ Barrett should be the second pick in this draft, Ja Morant is undoubtedly a much better fit with the Dallas Mavericks, and seemingly just as talented. The 6'3, 175 pound point guard has been a top prospect all year, but really burst onto the scene as a household name when he became the first guard since Dwyane Wade in 2003 to achieve a triple double in the NCAA tournament. His 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds had people comparing him to the likes of Russell Westbrook with a better jumpshot.

Having a backcourt pairing of Luka Doncic and Ja Morant would be incredibly exciting to watch for the Dallas Mavericks fans. Along with Kristaps Porzingis this will once again have Dallas in an incredible position for their future in the NBA.

Pick #3: Take Morant or Trade

NCAA Basketball Tournament - East Regional - Washington DC

RJ Barrett and Ja Morant are clearly two of the top three picks in what is shaping up to be a very top heavy draft. If Ja Morant manages to slide to the third pick, Dallas should still take him, but if RJ Barrett is remaining, it would be more beneficial to trade that pick elsewhere.

Simply put, RJ and Luka Doncic seem to be a horrible fit together and could potentially stunt both of their developments. If Dallas fail to land a top two pick, their best option to improve their team is either free agency or a trade deal where they can acquire talent to fit around the young stars of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis and with many teams heavily interested in RJ Barrett, a good package could be gained from trading him.

Whether the best option would to be trade down and secure a few other future first round picks or trade to a team with other assets, Dallas have multiple options to look at if they land the third pick.

Pick #4: Trade for Picks

Most NBA Mock Drafts will have either Cam Reddish or Jarrett Culver in the 4th position in this draft, but for the Dallas Mavericks they would be better trading these prospects for more future security. Dallas have already traded their 2021 first round pick to the Knicks in the Porzingis trade and don't have much of a safety net if, for whatever reason, their roster doesn't work out.

Reddish and Culver both have potential but both seem very inconsistent and not close to as talented as the top three picks. The Mavs might look to make another draft day trade similar to last season while trading down in this draft to take someone like Sekou Doumbouya or De'Andre Hunter in the course of securing a first round pick next year.

Or there is potential to trade the pick in a package with the likes of Hardaway Jr. to clear up even more cap space for what is set to be a massive free agent season.