Mavs Trade Down in NBA Draft? Expert Breaks Down Prospects
DALLAS — As the 2023 NBA Draft nears, the Dallas Mavericks are increasingly viewed as a team likely to trade the 10th pick. A few general frameworks are at their disposal between getting compensated for trading down in the order or simply trading out of the pick altogether.
The Mavs' top offseason priority involves re-signing impending free agent Kyrie Irving, but a formal contract agreement cannot be reached until July 1. With the NBA Draft occurring on June 22, the team must operate with a general approach barring knowledge of a commitment.
Regarding roster improvement areas, the Mavs will favor improving defense and rebounding. Dallas ranked 25th in defensive rating and 30th in total rebounding percentage during the 2022-23 season. As DallasBasketball.com reported after the NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago, the team views rim protection and on-ball defense as areas that must be addressed.
"I think for us going into the offseason, the two biggest things that we need to work on is defense and rebounding," Mavs general manager Nico Harrison said of the team's needs during his exit interview. "That's going to be addressed."
When evaluating draft prospects for the Mavs to target in the event of trading down from the 10th pick, Rafael Barlow of NBA Big Board analyzed some options during an appearance on the 'Inside The Mavs' podcast.
A hypothetical trade scenario that was the general focus of the conversation was a possible trade down for the Mavs moving down to acquire the 15th pick from the Atlanta Hawks while adding a veteran. There ended up conversations between both teams about that general idea, and now, there is growing buzz about a trade down or trade ultimately transpiring. Other frameworks could involve trading with a team possessions multiple picks in the 20-30 range.
In a trade-down scenario, Barlowe sees former Duke center Dereck Lively II as being a particularly intriguing option if he's still available. If Lively wasn't available, there are some perimeter players like Jordan Hawkins, Brice Sensabaugh, Jett Howard, and Ryan Rupert that were mentioned as options.
"Honestly, if they feel like [Dereck[ Lively is going to be available at 15 if they like one hundred percent sure. And if they can make that trade and get an asset and still get the guy they want, that makes sense. Other than that, I mean, there are some wings. Jordan Hawkins, who is a good shooter [and] is probably the best movement shooter in the draft. Brice Sensabaugh, maybe Jett Howard. Maybe Ryan Rupert, who's actually been training here in Dallas."
Rupert was highlighted further due to his potential as a wing defender with intriguing physical tools. Barlowe mentioned Rupert stands at 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan but does come with questions offensively.
"[Rupert] is a French player, actually has the same agent as Wembanyama. He played in New Zealand last year. He is a really good defender [and is] like 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. I don't know how ready he will be to contribute on the offensive end, but Dallas does need a wing defender."
Overall, Barlowe sees the Mavs benefiting from taking Lively but mentioned earlier in the episode that options like Taylor Hendricks or Jarace Walker are realistic options that could be better prospects if they were to fall. In the spirit of discussing trade-down options, other names aside from Lively include Nick Smith Jr. and Keyonte George, given they are guards with high upside.
"To me, Lively is just the guy that I would go for unless one of the guards, whether it's Nick Smith or Keyonte George, one of those highly touted freshmen fall, and they like them and want to pair them with Luka."
Many variables are in play when analyzing trade-down options, let alone who will be available when the 10th pick is on the clock. Regardless, there appear to be some options regardless of what the Mavs ultimately choose to do as far as remaining at 10th overall or trading down in the order.
Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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