Should Mavs Be Interested in Draft Night Trade For Spurs' Jeremy Sochan?

Given how depleted the Dallas Mavericks' defense was this season, one could see how they'd be interested in San Antonio Spurs' Jeremy Sochan, as Bleacher Report suggests ... just not at the proposed price.

Although there are many reasons for the Dallas Mavericks' underwhelming 2022-23 season that resulted in missing the entire postseason, by far, the lack overall team defense was the biggest issue that shot them in the foot on a nightly basis.

In his exit interview, Mavs GM Nico Harrison empathized with fans, calling his team's failure of a season "unacceptable" and acknowledging that rebounding and defense are the biggest needs heading into what should be an eventful offseason.

There are many ways the Mavs could upgrade their defensive personnel this summer, but Bleacher Report recently lobbed up the idea of Dallas trading for promising young San Antonio Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan.

"The Spurs could gauge the Dallas Mavericks' interest in Jeremy Sochan's immense defensive potential," Bleacher Report writes. "San Antonio probably shouldn't ship Sochan out for Dallas' 2023 first-rounder alone. That selection is most likely to be No. 10, which isn't quite enough value for Sochan, who has an outside shot at making the All-Rookie first team. But if the Mavs sweetened the pot with future seconds or Jaden Hardy, the Spurs should absolutely consider it."

In a normal NBA Draft class, the No. 10 pick might not be enough to trade for Sochan, who is just 19 years old and averaged 11 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals in 26 minutes per game for the Spurs. However, the 2023 draft features one of the deeper classes in recent history according to several league experts, and the Mavs might be better served rolling the dice on a young two-way prospect like University of Central Florida's Taylor Hendricks if he falls to the No. 10 pick.

Taylor Hendricks is a name to keep an eye on for the Mavs if they keep their pick. Seems like a guy who could help out immediately. https://t.co/yf17YCBqEq

— Dalton Trigg (@dalton_trigg) April 11, 2023

Coach Jason Kidd would likely find an immediate, consistent role for Sochan in Dallas due to his defensive abilities, but it's hard for us to see this scenario playing out if the price point starts with the No. 10 pick in this year's draft ... let alone the addition of the ever-growing rookie Jaden Hardy, who would likely end up being a top-5 pick if the NBA did a re-draft in 2022.

Follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter @dalton_trigg.

Follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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