I hope he does go back to Dallas. Then it may make a middle of the road team again and they may not make it into the high lottery pick territory.
With him they may make it into the playoffs and that pick conveys to us, in the west that pick at best may be 17th. I hope he doesnt go back but they fight for wins and miss the playoffs and give us a lotto pick, because even if they miraculously get into top 7 and keep the pick, it rolls over for us.
I still don't think they would make the playoffs with a declining Dirk, no Ellis and two teams that should be much better that missed the playoffs in New Orleans & OKC. No way Dallas makes it and they are in the lottery.
Even without Tyson I think they'd be too good to be a bottom 7 team, and I'd rather risk getting the pick some other year than having a pick that's all but guaranteed to be in the mid-teens
Also, the Pelicans made the playoffs last year (and lost to the Warriors in round 1)