While doing some wishcasting, I prompted our staff with this question: Dallas jumps up to number 1 in the NBA Lottery AGAIN. You’re the GM, based on what you know and think right now, what do you do with that pick?
Bryan: I am opening up the bidding for the teams picking 2nd and 3rd. Whoever will produce the most unprotected 1sts/young players will get the pick and I will accept whichever of Peterson/Boozer/Dybantsa (in that order) that fall to me. If neither team bites (unlikely), I would draft Peterson and call it a day. Any of those 3 players would be miraculous for this Mavericks roster, though.
Brent: I immediately offer it to Washington for Anthony Davis.
David T.: I trade back a few spots for a future first-round pick and take Darius Acuff. I am back in on him, and his height, affiliation with Rashad Phillips, and defensive weaknesses cannot push me away any longer.
Jack B.: It’s tempting to just say “take Cam Boozer” and call it a day. But, given the Mavericks asset situation, it’s probably smart to entertain the trade down if you can. Any of Boozer, Peterson, or Dybantsa would be franchise changers. if you can get any of those guys plus additional assets, it’s kind of a no-brainer.
Isaac: I’m leaning towards taking Cameron Boozer. I like Peterson and Dybantsa but I just feel like Boozer can be a generational force in the NBA and I believe the Boozer/Flagg pairing presents one of the most exciting front courts in basketball.
However, if a team 2-4 wants to be desperate and offer a ‘can’t-say-no’ offer (at least three picks and a young player or two), I think you have to take that meeting.
Tyler: I would open the bidding for whoever feels convinced about getting their guy. The bids start at three first-rounders!
The number one overall pick has only been pre-flop traded twice since the turn of the millennium. The Cavs traded the first pick in 2014 (which became Andrew Wiggins) for Kevin Love when LeBron James had his homecoming. The last time it happened was in 2017, when the Sixers traded the 3rd pick and a future first to Boston for the number one pick (that became Markelle Fultz).
The Mavericks could absolutely net a king’s ransom from a team, perhaps even the Kings! Take the chance, move back a few picks, and all of a sudden your cupboards are loaded for the build around Flagg and the young guard you trade back for.
Jack N.: In my opinion, you draft Cameron Boozer without a second thought. Boozer has every telltale sign of a modern NBA superstar, from elite IQ to three-point shooting. While more assets are enticing, the duo of Cooper Flagg and Boozer would immediately be the best young duo in the NBA. There are certainly concerns with Boozer’s defensive abilities in the NBA; those become less important with him playing next to Flagg. AJ Dybantsa could have a higher ceiling, and Darryn Peterson is a more “natural” fit, but both have major downsides that become hard to ignore. Trust the numbers, production, and talent. Draft Cam Boozer.
Michael: I think I’d cash it out. If you can move back to 2, 3, or 4 (maybe even 5 or 6) to get some young NBA players and future draft capital to refill the empty cupboard, I think that’s the way to go. You’re still likely to get a great player, maybe the best player in the draft, between 2 and 6. If you can do that and build on top of it, that’s a big win. BUT I’d say you only do this if it’s a total no-brainer (e.g., the Mavs “win” the trade). The 1 pick guarantees you’re getting “your guy,” so you’re only trading back if you can get “your guy” and then some. In that case, “then some” ought to be good, why bother?
Sudarshan: Too much overthinking is going on here. If DAL gets the #1 pick again and his medicals check out fine, you run to the podium for Darryn Peterson. With that, you have your 1A & 1B, and you move on with the rebuild.
There are other avenues to gain more assets. Trading PJ, Naji, Gaff etc. They may not net you lottery picks, but you will get bites at the apple, which is what DAL needs.
Matt: Probably vomit and become beset with near-fatal vertigo. The pressure to nail this pick is sky high. The difference between this draft and the “obviously taking Cooper Flagg and if anyone even jokes about trading this pick I’m going to call in a nuclear strike,” is other-worldly. Having #1 and thus every possible avenue open to you provides so, so much rope with which to hang oneself in a draft you absolutely need to nail. All that said, I’m taking as many assets as I can to trade down and still getting Boozer because I believe someone in the top 4 is going to talk themselves into selling the farm for Peterson, who has had just way too weird of a Freshman year for me to want to mess with.
Joe: I think it would be foolish not to shop the pick because of the pressure to get this right and the lack of future assets as you build around Coop. However, I can’t imagine anyone paying that much of a premium for this pick since the league mostly hates and knows how crazy and disorganized the Mavs FO and ownership group is. With that said, I would imagine that the Mavericks use the pick and take either AJ Dybansta or Darryn Peterson. I think Boozer is the best player in this draft, but I still hesitate with that fit next to Cooper, if you can keep Flagg as a power wing more than a stretch wing, I think that’s what you should try to do.
Matt M.: Take AJ Dybantsa or Cameron Boozer and pat yourself on the back while you wait to draft Dailyn Swain out of Texas late in the first. What a world to dream of, and the Mavs have ridden the struggle bus long enough to make it a possibility. I prefer this result to the idea of getting additional picks by trading back.
Kirk: Man, I’d never even considered trading back as a thing until reading these replies. I’d have to very much consider that, given Dallas’ lack of draft picks in the coming years. Bites at the apple is the best means of building a contender in this CBA. But if it’s not a trade, then give me Dybantsa.