I didn’t think it was possible. After spending an inordinate amount of time playing around with the NBA Draft simulator, it’s possible; the Dallas Mavericks truly have a shot at the No.1 pick.
Which means Nico Harrison will have his second shot at frustrating Mavs fans. It’s been chronicled how poorly he grades with the fan base after the knee-jerk trade to send franchise superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.
It was a move that was equally puzzling and just plain wrong. The Mavs were hustled out of their best player, and Harrison became public enemy No. 1 in Dallas because of it. With Kyrie Irving out for the year and a depleted roster, the Mavs are on a crash course for the NBA lottery.
With Cooper Flagg in play, there’s truly a chance Mavs fans will be haunted with déjà vu, if the NBA Gods aren’t done toying with their emotions.
Cooper Flagg’s NBA career could be a trainwreck before it ever begins if the Dallas Mavericks land with the No. 1 pick
If Dallas did manage to get the No. 1 pick, it would be funny. It would give Nico Harrison the chance to right his wrongs with the franchise and draft the consensus No. 1 NBA prospect in the upcoming draft.
He could also have the perfect opportunity to do the funniest thing and not even draft Flagg and opt for a lesser talented prospect and dig his own grave in American Airlines Arena.
Whatever decision Harrison makes, history shows it won’t be a good one. The Mavs proved they don’t care about franchise players. Not even a year after Doncic carried the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in an improbable playoff run, the organization gave up on him.
Imagine how quickly they would give up on Flagg under Harrison’s direction. Harrison proved he truly doesn’t know what he’s doing when it comes to building a championship roster. The goal is to build around your superstars, not trade them for aging, injury-prone ones.
Had Harrison hauled in a handful of draft picks, better role players and even a rising star in the move, you could argue it wasn’t bad, just an odd move.
What he did in the Doncic trade is proof he’s clueless. And a clueless general manager with a generational talent like Flagg is a recipe for a disaster.
The Mavericks set themselves back a few years, which is why they even have a miniscule shot at getting Flagg. If they somehow land the No. 1, Harrison will have his second shot at regaining some popularity.
Though nothing he’s done over the last year would give anybody confidence he’ll make the right decision; if there is one in his position.