The Dallas Mavericks will select fifth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft

Tonight the Dallas Mavericks fell out of the top three in the NBA Lottery and will pick fifth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The lottery could have played out a number of ways (see Kate’s lottery explainer here), but ultimately, the Mavs, who had a 42.4 percent chance of a top-three pick, weren’t in luck tonight.

This is still strange territory for the organization. The last time Dallas had a top-five pick was in 1994 when the team selected Jason Kidd from the University of California second overall. Kidd went on to have a hall-of-fame career with multiple teams and was instrumental in bringing the city of Dallas its first championship.

Though hall-of-fame expectations are probably unreasonable at No. 5, the Mavericks will have an excellent opportunity to nab a blue-chip prospect. With Luka Doncic and DeAndre Ayton likely to be off the board, Dallas will have its choice from players like Jaren Jackson Jr., Marvin Bagley III and Mohamed Bamba if they slip past the first handful of picks. For a team desperate for an influx of young talent, remaining in the top five of the draft is still cause for celebration.

Be sure to visit the site as we inch closer to the draft for in-depth profiles on potential prospects. In the meantime, be sure to check out the NBA combine that kicks off on May 16 and concludes on May 20. The event will be headlined by Jackson Jr., Bagley, Bamba, Michael Porter Jr. and Mikal Bridges.