In what is still the most absurd twist of fate I've ever seen, the Dallas Mavericks will select first overall in next month's NBA Draft after going into the lottery with a 1.8 percent chance to land Cooper Flagg. Months after trading Luka Dončić is what is broadly considered the worst trade of all time, the Mavs now have a new 18-year-old face of the franchise coming down the pipeline.

Flagg is awesome, and his presence immediately elevates a roster still built to contend. That said, the Mavs aren't really built to accommodate Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward. Nico Harrison has gone overboard with the whole "defense wins championships" thing. Derrick Lively and Anthony Davis are both starting-caliber centers. So is Daniel Gafford, for that matter. P.J. Washington is a starter — and definitely a power forward. Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Just a lot of frontcourt bodies.

How does this all balance out? Well, Jason Kidd has talked about playing Cooper Flagg at the two, which is a fun concept, but probably not the best use of everyone's talents. Dallas may need to trim the fat a bit and reinvest resources in the backcourt, as Kyrie Irving will miss at least half of next season.

The most likely casualty of these roster maneuvers is Daniel Gafford.

Here's the simple truth of this situation. Gafford has one year left on his contract at $14.3 million. That is excellent value under the NBA's ballooning cap, but Gafford is soon to be a free agent. He will want to get paid like a starter, because on a lot of teams, he would start. Dallas cannot afford to start him over Derrick Lively, and frankly, the Mavs should want to explore AD-at-center lineups as much as possible next season. Gafford's presence complicates any such efforts.

This feels like a rare situation where all sides benefit from a trade. Dallas can flip Gafford into more draft assets or an upgrade on the perimeter, where another ball-handler sure would help. Gafford presumably goes to a team where he can start, or at least play major minutes. Hell, we know the Los Angeles Lakers really need a rim-running big. Why not one with a built-in connection to Luka? Maybe Nico Harrison should call up his old pal Rob Pelinka. What can go wrong...

Anyhow, the Mavericks aren't going to keep Gafford through the offseason. That is not a guarantee, but it's close. Flagg is versatile enough to guard on the perimeter and shoulder some of the playmaking burden, but it's best to bring 18-year-olds along with a patient hand in the NBA — not throw them directly into the flames. Flagg is special, maybe even a generational talent, but Dallas should play to his strengths as a physical play-finisher and connector in the frontcourt, rather than running him at point like Jason Kidd seems dangerously close to doing.

Start Lively, Davis and Flagg in the frontcourt, but spam the AD-Flagg "small(er but still large)-ball" lineups late in games. This is the way.