Breakdown of the 2023 NBA Draft for the Dallas Mavericks 

By: Marselis Davis

On the Thursday night of June 22, the NBA held the 2023 NBA Draft. This was an important night for the Dallas Mavericks, as they needed to decide who to pick at the 10th spot and what to do with the pick. Now that the night has concluded, here is a rundown of what transpired for the Mavericks on draft night.

Mavs Select Cason Wallace

To start off their draft night, the Mavericks selected Cason Wallace at the 10th pick. Wallace is a 6-foot-2 guard who played for the University of Kentucky. He is primarily known for his elite defensive abilities, while also containing solid off ball offensive skills.

At first glance, this would appear like a peculiar pick for the Dallas Mavericks. The franchise already had two star guards and their biggest weakness was their lack of size. Adding another guard does not seem to help the Mavericks in their deficient areas. However, they had other plans with Wallace.

Draft Night Trade

Shortly after the Mavericks selected Wallace, they traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Breaking down the trade details, the Mavericks traded Wallace and Davis Bertans for the Thunder’s 12th pick, Dereck Lively II. Lively II is a 7-foot-one center who played for Duke University. Lively II is seen as a player with strong defensive upside as well as being an easy lob threat at his size.

This trade made a lot of sense on the side of the Dallas Mavericks. By trading down in the draft, it allowed the Mavericks to select a player that better fits their needs while also getting rid of Bertans’ hefty contract. Lively II is a much better-suited prospect for the Mavericks’ deficiencies than Wallace. He adds the size that the Mavericks lack along with the defensive potential that the Mavericks also needed. Also, removing Bertan’s $17 million contract, it freed up more cap space for the Mavericks to re-sign Irving or offer a max contract to a top free agent.

Other Draft Picks

The Mavericks had one more draft pick at the 24th spot, which they used to select Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Prosper is a 6-foot-8 forward from Marquette University. Prosper is seen as a player who can defend multiple positions and play well off the ball. Most importantly, Prosper adds more size to the Mavericks with his 6-foot-8 frame. With any pick that Dallas had in this year’s draft, they should have been seeking to add players with size, and they did exactly that. While Prosper took a while to develop in college, he is still a good value for the Mavericks at the 24th spot in the draft, especially regarding their deficiencies.

Conclusion

Overall, it is safe to say that the Mavericks had a relatively successful night at the draft. They managed to salary dump Bertan’s bad contract and receive a seven-footer who can be a true center for the Mavericks and address their weaknesses in rebounding and defense. By also taking Prosper, it allowed the Mavericks to come out of this draft with more size and more cap space. Now their next order of business would be to figure out how to retain Kyrie Irving.

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