The Dallas Mavericks have the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but they may not keep the pick. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Mavericks are expected to explore the trade market for the 10th pick in order to get Luka Doncic more help.
“There are other teams rival executives are already pinning as potential trade candidates,” Fischer wrote. “Dallas avoided disaster by landing its top-10 protected pick at the No. 10 spot, and the Mavericks are certainly expected to explore the market for that selection in hopes of adding to their All-Star backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the latter of which will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.”
The Mavericks thought they were in for a special season after acquiring Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets since Irving and Doncic are two of the best players in the NBA. However, Dallas went only 5-11 with Irving and Doncic in the lineup and didn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving & Dallas Mavericks Updates
Irving becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. Even though the Mavericks struggled after acquiring the eight-time All-Star and NBA champion, the franchise is optimistic about their ability to re-sign Irving this summer, according to Tim Cato of The Athletic.
It’s possible the Mavericks could get an impact player who is ready to help them win next season by trading the 10th pick in the upcoming draft. It will certainly be interesting to see what type of player Dallas is looking to pair alongside Doncic and Irving (assuming Kyrie is back). However, there has been some pushback in public comments about there being a set plan to use the pick in a trade just yet.
“I was going to ask you to give me the trade speculation, so maybe I add it to my board,” Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told DallasBasketball.com. “I don’t know anything about the trade rumors. We got to look at every possible scenario, so we’ll do that for sure.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving & Dallas Mavericks Updates
The Mavericks have been linked to Chicago Bulls All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine in the past. If the Bulls — who missed the playoffs this season — decide to rebuild their team and tank, they could be interested in trading LaVine and getting picks for him, especially since Chicago doesn’t have a first-round pick in this year’s draft. However, after adding Irving, bolstering the defense will be a priority.
“I think for us going into the offseason, the two biggest things that we need to work on is defense and rebounding,” Harrison said. “That’s going to be addressed.”
Harrison acknowledged to DallasBasketball.com that “both” on-ball containment and rim protection are areas of need for the Mavericks when improving their defense this offseason.
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