Learning From Warriors: Will Mavs Keep No. 26 Pick in Draft?

The Mavs have a first-round pick for the first time in two years.

The Dallas Mavericks’ season is officially over, as they came up short against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals. Now, free agency and trade rumors are already starting to heat up, including the Mavs weighing the option of joining the bidding for Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine through a potential sign-and-trade.

Before we get to that point in the offseason, though, the Mavs still have some business to sort out in the NBA Draft, which will commence on June 23. Dallas owns the No. 26 pick in the first round. It is currently the only pick the Mavs have after trading their second-round pick to the Washington Wizards in the Kristaps Porzingis deal earlier this season.

Last summer, general manager Nico Harrison, who had just been hired by the Mavs, didn’t have anything to work with in the draft, given that Dallas didn’t have any picks. The last time Dallas made selections was in the 2020 draft, where they came away with Josh Green, Tyrell Terry and Tyler Bey. Terry and Bey are no longer with the team, and Green has yet to develop into a consistent role player, while players selected after him, such as Saddiq Bey, Tyrese Maxey and Desmond Bane, have already developed nicely.

Given the Mavs’ recent draft history, aside from the 2018 draft that netted both Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson, it’d be easier to consider trading the No. 26 pick in an attempt to bolster depth. However, Harrison’s eye for talent, at least when it comes to non-European prospects, might be better than what Donnie Nelson’s was.

To build a true championship contender, you need star power and a great supporting cast. Whether a team does so through free agency, trades or the draft, it takes talent, as well as a little bit of luck, to get to that point. Look no further than the dynastic team the Mavs just lost to in the West finals.

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Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were all drafted by the Warriors, with Green taken in the second round. Although it seems like they hit on every one of their picks every single time, the truth is that the Warriors made many attempts in the draft over the years. The year between Curry and Thompson’s draft years, Golden State selected Ekpe Udoh with the No. 6 overall pick, as Paul George and Gordon Hayward went soon thereafter.

As tempted as the Mavs might be to trade their 2022 pick, they might want to consider holding onto it and giving Harrison a chance to add a young, serviceable piece to the roster that will be on a rookie scale contract for the next four years. If bigger trade scenario materializes, like the LaVine sign-and-trade mentioned earlier, the Mavs could always include their 2025 and 2027 first-round picks, including pick swaps in the in-between years if needed.

We’ll find out soon just how different this new regime’s mindset is compared to the old one when it comes to the draft. The Mavs simply can’t rely on free agency as heavily as they have in the past if they want to reach the Warriors’ level of sustained dominance.