Mavs vs. Thunder Preview: Dereck Lively II Will 'Bring Physicality' to Chet Holmgren

After agreeing to a trade on the night of the NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder now find themselves facing off against each other in the teams' first game of the Las Vegas Summer League.

The Dallas Mavericks have had a stellar offseason so far, and despite seeing a decent amount of roster turnover, they still might not be done making moves via trades and free agency. In the meantime, though, the Mavs are set to tip off at the NBA's Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday, as they take on a recent trade partner in the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Heading into the NBA Draft, the Mavs had the No. 10 pick, and they ended up trading down with the Thunder for the No. 12 pick. Dallas ended up with versatile Duke big man Dereck Lively II, while also shedding Dāvis Bertans' $17 million contract, and the Thunder ended up with defensive-minded Kentucky guard Cason Wallace. The Mavs then turned their TPE created from that trade into another trade with the Sacramento Kings, netting them veteran center Richaun Holmes and promising young wing OMax Prosper from Marquette with the No. 24 pick.

In what will come as a surprise to no one, the Mavs' youngsters are extremely excited to get their feet wet after the draft-night trades officially went through on Thursday.

“Being able to finally step on the court with the players, being able to finally get the dust off – the old gears like that – it just feels amazing. Being able to be out here and bring energy and be talking, and just being able to just figure out things (was a bonus), because playing is different from watching on the sidelines," Lively said after not being able to participate in practices until the trades were completed.

“It hurts being able to just sit there and watch your team being able to play without you. It makes you just want to be that much hungry to get back on the court.”

Added Prosper: “To finally be out there and to go full speed and to play with those guys that we’re going to play the summer league with, it’s great. We’re learning, we saw it, and now we’re in it. It feels a lot better to be in it than to learn on the fly.”

All of that young talent that was swapped around on draft night – Lively, Wallace and Prosper – as well as electrifying 2022 draftees Jaden Hardy and Chet Holmgren, will all be on display at Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday afternoon. Summer League basketball isn't as good as the real deal that will begin in October, but it's certainly entertaining enough to satisfy the itch of hardcore NBA junkies.

Here's everything you need to know about Saturday's matchup between the Mavs and Thunder:

WHO: Dallas Mavericks (0-0) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0)

WHEN: Saturday, July 8, 2023 – 2:30 p.m. CT

WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, NV)

TV: ESPN2, NBA League Pass

NEXT UP: The Mavs will take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas. The game will tip off on ESPNU at 7 p.m. CT.

FINAL WORD: “He’s a great player. He can shoot the ball, he can put the ball on the floor, he can get to the rim, he can get above the rim. That doesn’t mean I’m going to shy away from the fact," Lively said of Holmgren.

“I’m just going to go at him with even more emphasis knowing he’s a good player. I’m going to try to bring physicality. I’m going to stay low [and] play him straight on. That’s what I’m going to try to do, and we’re going to see how the game goes.”

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