With the NBA Draft just under a week away, things are starting to get real for the Dallas Mavericks. Of course, Cooper Flagg will hear his name called first Wednesday night, and he will officially become a Maverick. But the draft this year is 59 picks, and the Mavericks currently do not own another pick in this draft.

Many teams that own multiple late first round and second round picks are looking to trade out of those spots. Those teams with multiple picks in the top 35 that are rumored to be exploring trades include:

Philadelphia 76ers (3, 35)
Charlotte Hornets (4, 33, 34)
New Orleans Pelicans (7, 23)

Brooklyn Nets (8, 19, 26, 27)

Atlanta Hawks (13, 22)
OKC Thunder (15, 24)

Minnesota Timberwolves (17, 31)

Boston Celtics (28, 32)

That is roughly a quarter of the league who own multiple draft assets in the top half of the draft that have talked about moving one or multiple of their picks. That list of eight doesn’t even include the San Antonio Spurs (2, 14), Utah Jazz (5, 21) or Washington Wizards (6, 18), who all could theoretically look to move picks, too. It makes sense why teams would want to move out of the draft. As we’ve covered, that part of the draft specifically has become undervalued by teams with many of the players considered in that range heading back to school.

If you believe some of the reporting out there, the Mavs are potentially interested in moving back into the first round for another pick. This wouldn’t be the first time the Mavericks have done this under Nico Harrison, as they did exactly that in the 2023 draft to select O-Max to go along with the selection of Dereck Lively. With that, if the Mavericks move back into the draft, who could they look at selecting? I’ve got my eyes on a few guard (or guard adjacent) guys that could step in and help immediately.

Nique Clifford, G/F (Colorado State)

Maybe my favorite player to watch in the class, Nique Clifford is everything you want out of a guy who will go somewhere from 15-25 in the draft. First and foremost, he’s just 6’5 and yet he averaged nearly 10 boards a game at CSU to go along with his 19 points per game. Clifford’s motor is never ending and he’s a fifth-year guy, so he has been in every imaginable situation possible for a college player and can step in right away. I would do backflips if Nique was a Maverick.

Walter Clayton Jr., G (Florida)

It was never realistic to expect that Walter Clayton Jr. drafted as a lottery pick, even immediately after he authored a magical March Madness run to a national title. However, the late first round is a fantastic spot for Clayton, who projects as more of a scoring guard rather than a true point, can step in immediately and get you buckets. If guys like Cooper Flagg or Naji Marshall can take some of the playmaking load with Kyrie Irving sidelined, Clayton should have no issue at all stepping in. Beyond that, when Irving comes back, Clayton can be excellent next to Kyrie

Nolan Traore, G (Saint-Quinten, France)

In the interest of transparency, I have to point out that I started off firmly against Nolan Traore, the prospect. There are glaring things that could be issues in the league, mainly the fact that he’s a streaky shooter at best. However, he has the requisite size and a feel for the game that is right up there with Dylan Harper for the best in this guard class. There’s a reason France gave him a look for the Men’s National Team last summer in their Olympic tune ups. Traore would be an ideal distributor early in his career while he continues to develop the shot, and the value being in the late first round would be worthwhile.

Javon Small, G (West Virginia)

If the Mavs aren’t able to get all the way into the back end of the first round, Javon Small is the guy I would target if they were to trade into the second round. Small was a bit of a world traveler in college, hitting three schools in his four years of duty. However, he grew a lot during that time. In his junior year at Oklahoma State, Small was more of a scorer, and shot 37% from deep that season. While his percentages dipped a bit in 2024-25, to 42% from the floor and 35% from deep, Small developed his floor game nicely. The 5.6 assists he averaged this past season were easily a career high, and he was better than 2:1 in the assist to turnover ratio. He’s another older guy, but I think he’s worth a flier late in this draft.

Honorable mentions

Kam Jones, G (Marquette)
Chaz Lanier, G (Tennessee)
Ryan Nembhard, G (Gonzaga)