Now down two stars in Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving due to injury, all signs are pointing towards the team slipping into the NBA Draft lottery, opposed to the postseason.

After trading off young superstar Luka Doncic at the trade deadline — a widely discouraged move — the team is now reeling from its once-great spot in the West.

As it stands now, adding more talent at the 2025 NBA Draft could be the best option, given all that’s happened this season. If the Mavericks do land what is currently projected to be a late-lottery pick, here are three options they could look at:

At around 6-foot-7, McNeeley is one of the more talented scoring wings in the class, boasting a solid singular season with the two-time defending-champion UConn Huskies.

His overall value is tied to his scoring, and more specifically shooting. He’s averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists with UConn, shooting 42% overall and 36% from beyond the arc.

There’s no guarantee McNeeley would see the court quick enough to make an impact next year, but he’d in the least be a longterm off-ball scoring option, similar to the aging Klay Thompson.

Should the Mavericks want to take a bigger swing, Ratiopharm Ulm guard Ben Saraf is projected to be a late-lottery pick, and offers a unique blend of skills at 6-foot-6.

He’s scored in double-figures for Ulm, boasting skills as a play-maker and, seldomly, a defender too. There’s plenty of development to be had, but if he comes around as a shooter and defender, he could offer some connective or even star-like skills in the NBA.

With the Mavericks, Saraf could fill in the frontcourt gaps with positional size. 

Dallas doesn’t control its picks for the next few years, so if it’s wanting to bet on a star in ’25, Derik Queen could be the pick.

At 6-foot-10, he’s got immense feel for the game as a big, scoring near 16 points and adding nine rebounds and two assists per game for a highly-competitive Maryland squad this season.

He’s got feel reminiscent of bigs like Domantas Sabonis, Alperen Sengun and even Nikola Jokic, but will need plenty of development in the next few years to reach his ceiling as a scorer and passer. Queen’s lesser traits include defense and shooting, with Davis covers well in theory.

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