A season-ending injury could send UNC phenom Caleb Wilson tumbling down draft boards, potentially landing him with the Mavericks and their rising star.
The Dallas Mavericks found the face of their franchise for the foreseeable future in the 2025 NBA Draft, and the team could continue to build its dream roster with college basketball's premier talent.
One of the most intriguing prospects in this year's draft is University of North Carolina superstar Caleb Wilson, who has been considered by most to be an easy top-five pick. But that might be changing in the last month or so of the season.
The UNC star suffered a season-ending fracture to his right thumb during a practice about a week ago. This injury came as he was progressing in the right direction after a fracture to his left hand that he sustained against Miami.
Now how in the world does this affect the Mavericks?
It is unlikely that Dallas will pick in the top five again this year, so if they want to pick a player like Wilson, they would have to hope that he would fall to them. And with his injury history, that could now be a possibility.
Cooper Flagg being the star in Dallas gives them a superstar wing, and drafting a 6-10 phenom like Wilson would give them yet another.
The 19-year-old Tar Heel averaged just under 20 points and nine rebounds per game in the 24 games that he suited up. While he is out for the remainder of the season and for March Madness, that is still a big enough sample size to get a pretty good idea of what Wilson is capable of.
The 2025-26 season has been underwhelming to say the least for the Mavericks, but that means that they have the opportunity to get a higher pick in a draft full of some great players, many of which could be future All-Stars.
And standing at 6-10 with a lanky, KD-like frame, the UNC freshman has all the tools to be one of those guys that could be a future star.
Building your franchise around two superstar wings is definitely something that sounds exciting, and it could very well be a possibility for Dallas if Wilson falls a bit on the draft after his season-ending injury.