The Dallas Mavericks, at 23-46, now have the sixth-best odds of winning the first-overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft lottery.
After shocking the world last week with a rare win over a legitimate contender, the Dallas Mavericks returned to their usual losing ways Monday night as the New Orleans Pelicans ended Dallas' long road trip on a sour note. The Mavs fell 129-111.
New Orleans improved to 23-46 while Dallas dropped to the same record, but with the Pels now having a direct head-to-head advantage, the Mavs lowered in the rankings most fans are focused most on as the team nears playoff elimination.
Dallas has now leapfrogged the Pelicans into the sixth-best odds of winning the upcoming NBA Draft lottery.
While the franchise will never say it is deliberately "tanking", we figure this is an acceptable position. Especially with 13 games still to play and improve odds of a second consecutive top pick.
According to Tankathon.com - which diligently tracks the latest moves and probabilities at the bottom of the conference standings - Dallas has a 34.8 percent chance of landing a top-4 draft pick. They have 8.3 percent odds of landing the No. 1 overall selection.
The Pelicans' first-round selection won't go to New Orleans, anyway. After last year's surprising draft-day trade to acquire the rights to big man Derik Queen, the Atlanta Hawks have control of the selection, which now sits below the Mavs'.
Atlanta is on a 10-game win streak behind All-Star Jalen Johnson, and the Hawks will travel to Dallas to face the Mavericks in both teams' next game on Wednesday, March 18.
With regards to the tank, it'll be extremely hard for the Mavs to begin catching teams like Indiana and Washington that simply lack the star power that last year's top pick Cooper Flagg alone presents in Dallas.
But if the Mavericks can nestle into a 4-6 range, they should be set up to draft one of college basketball's elite guards or wings to pair alongside the former Duke standout and begin building a core for the future.
One name Mavs fans have been salivating over online has been Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas.
The freshman point guard was just named a First-Team All-American by the Associated Press, solidifying his standing as one of the best players that will be available in this summer's draft.
Acuff averages 22.9 points (seventh-most in DI) to go along with 6.5 assists per game. His Razorbacks hold a No. 4 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament and play against No. 13 Hawaii in the First Round.
Dallas has lacked playmaking without Kyrie Irving this season, and with the long-term future of the Mavs' backcourt in jeopardy due to Irving's age, Acuff could be just the prospect worth targeting.
The Mavericks could be in position to grab him if they keep making movements down the standings - and up in the tanking odds - for the rest of the season.
