Rafael Barlowe, co-host of Locked On NBA Big Board with his brother James Barlowe and draft expert extraordinaire, said on a live podcast episode earlier this week that the Dallas Mavericks are pursuing avenues to gain an additional pick in the back half of the NBA draft’s first round. When asked about the Brooklyn Nets and the likelihood that they select a player with each of their four first-round picks in the 2025 draft, Rafael insisted that they may keep only two and listed teams that may trade for the others, “I think the Kings are trying to move into the first round, I heard the Mavs are trying to move into the first round and I heard that the Hornets are trying to package 33 and 34 to move up.”
The Mavs are interested in trading into the first round for an additional pick, according to @Barlowe500.
Dallas has definitely shown aggression in trading their way into more picks in the past… this would be a great draft to do that again…
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— All Things Mavs (@All_Things_Mavs) June 17, 2025
This information shouldn’t come as a surprise to many familiar with the Mavericks’ current roster situation, as they are thin in the backcourt. Dallas will use the one pick that they do have (thanks for nothing, Caleb Martin) on one Cooper Flagg. Flagg can and will play many roles, showcasing a diverse skill set that is sure to captivate the fans. Point Guard will decidedly not be among those roles…yet.
Rafael, who has been based in Dallas for years now, is someone who Mavericks fans should have developed a healthy respect for as a talent evaluator and reliable source of draft intel after he correctly identified Dereck Lively II as both Dallas’ ideal fit and primary target in the 2023 NBA Draft weeks before anyone else did. The player that Barlowe has been particularly bullish on as a hidden gem, who has, sure enough, risen from a second-round afterthought to first-round intrigue with a rousing performance at the NBA Combine, is the French center from Stanford, Maxime Raynaud. While Raynaud is a player who could easily slide into an Anthony Davis/Dereck Lively II center rotation as a stretch big that could provide a welcome change of pace from the aforementioned paint beasts, it is clear to everyone involved with the Mavericks that the guard position is in dire need of reinforcements.
One method for plugging the hole at playmaker for a Mavericks team currently set to return only Brandon Williams next year was proposed by Sam Vecenie on his Game Theory podcast with Bryce Simon. Vecenie laid out a potential sign-and-trade deal with the Mavericks, sending Gafford’s expiring contract worth $14.3 million next season to the center-starved Atlanta Hawks for Caris Levert on a newly signed deal worth a similar annual number to Gafford’s plus the 22nd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
This deal allows the Mavericks to add a shot creator with good playmaking chops who will be hungry for opportunity in Levert. It also gets them back into the first round to add another guard to the mix, like NCAA Tournament standout Walter Clayton Jr, or find Gafford’s replacement in the center rotation with Raynaud and Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner expected to still be on the board in that range. The Hawks, in return, would gain an explosive, lob-finishing, shot-blocking vertical athlete at center who is not as undersized as the current projected starter, Onyeka Okongwu. Given how much Gafford’s effectiveness took a hit post-Luka Doncic trade, he would likely relish the opportunity to play with a playmaker of a similar level in Atlanta’s Trae Young, which may lead him to re-sign long term at a reasonable number with them.
That is just one example of a handful of avenues that Dallas could explore to trade back into the draft after selecting Duke’s Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick. There will be teams looking to get off of bad contracts for expiring ones, find an oasis in a dry center market, and add impact players to support their budding stars. With the Kevin Durant trade still looming large, there will also be unforeseen teams needing to replenish their coffers or remove harmful salary very soon. Dallas has plenty of supply to meet their demands, and is eager to do so if it comes with the promise of a fellow rookie to bring in alongside Flagg.