Dallas Mavericks: Top-5 options for the Mavs to explore in the NBA Draft

The NBA offseason is underway!! The Denver Nuggets were crowned 2023 NBA champions, and now it is up to the Dallas Mavericks to find a way back to the promise land. Their journey begins next Thursday with the draft.

Right now, all signs point towards the Dallas Mavericks trading back into the draft or use their draft number to trade for an experienced veteran.

With a loaded draft class, could the Dallas Mavericks pick their player of the future at Pick 10 or will the team find other methods to upgrade?

We weigh the options here:

Possible Draft Selections at 10: 

Assuming the team stays pat, there are plenty of options for Dallas to choose from. Some areas the Mavs must improve on include: defense, big man help, and extra shooting.

Here are three players the team has been linked with. 

1. Derek Lively II 

This past week, ESPN released their NBA mock draft. In their selections, they had Brandon Miller going two, and Scoot Henderson getting picked at three. As for Dallas, they had the Mavs going after Duke center Derek Lively II.

The former Blue Devil is a great big man down who can make his presence known on the defensive side on the ball. Last season, he was selected to the All ACC-Defensive team, and awarded ACC player of the week on February 6. In 32 of his 34 games, he recorded at least one block, and had 23 games where he finished with two blocks or more.

Offensively, he is still a work in progress. He has a good mid-range game, but has yet to adapt his game to other sides of the court.

2. Anthony Black 

One player who has caught the Mavs attention is Arkansas guard Anthony Black. The Dallas native could be a solid pickup for the team, as they are looking for a three and D guard. At 6’7, he can play both sides of the ball.

During his freshman year last season, he averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. He started all 36 games for the Razorbacks and lead the way with 74 steals. He was the only player in the SEC to finish top 25 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks. Last season, he was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and tapped as a Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year Finalist.

While opposite of Lively, his mid-range game needs some work. Not to mention, his three point game can improve as he knocked down 30.1 percentage of his attempts.

3. Taylor Hendricks

The Dallas Mavericks have it made clear that if they keep their pick, the team’s main focus will be on the defensive side of the ball. This is where former UCF player Taylor Hendricks comes into play. The 6’9 forward has the size and skills to make a difference for Dallas.

Unlike the two players mentioned above, Hendricks is a near double double machine who can cause problems down low. For UCF he averaged 15.1 points on 7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. During his final five games of his college career he brought in eight or more rebounds and had four games where he had two or more blocks. He’s also had five or more games where he averaged 21 points or more.

The biggest question mark will be how will his size far against some of the NBA bigs. He has the speed to make baskets down low, but his build is something that could be a problem.

Trade Scenarios

While Dallas has plenty of options at the 10th spot, the team is also fielding calls for a possible trade.

Earlier this week rumors began to circulate that could use their 10th pick along with Tim Hardaway Jr. or David Bertans to acquire an experienced veteran.

Trade 1: 

The first trade rumor that broke out this week was the Dallas Mavericks trading their first round pick and Hardaway Jr. for Bojan Bogdanovic and the Detroit Pistons’ 31st pick. ESPN first reported the idea in their mock draft; they mentioned this is a trade scenario that could work for the Pistons.

In the past, Dallas had been link to Bogdanovic, but it is unsure how much interest the Mavs actually have this time around. The Piston guard is great sharp shooter who could provide an offensive spark for the team. The downsize would his size and whether he is worth a first rounder. Plus with his age, Dallas would not be getting younger.

Trade 2: 

After rumors of the Hardaway Jr. trade broke, other news begin to circulate that Dallas might be in play for Atlanta Hawks’ forward John Collins.

Yahoo Sports reported that the Mavs showed interested in trading Collins and the 15th pick for Bertans and the 10th. It was shown that talks were merely discussed and nothing has progressed at this time. Assuming this is case, Dallas would be able to trade down low and get a big man to replace Christian Wood.

With the draft fast approaching, I’m sure we will continue to hear the Dallas Mavericks name brought in rumors.

Either way, Dallas has plenty of options to consider. Getting Doncic help and resigning Kyrie Irving should be top priority.

• Published on 06/16/2023 at 12:19 PM
• Last updated at 06/16/2023 at 12:19 PM