The Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder could be busy this NBA offseason. According to John Hollinger of The Athletic, the Mavericks and Thunder could trade their lottery picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, which is on June 22.
“Two other picks insiders expect to be in play: Dallas’ selection at No. 10 — likely paired with either or both of Dāvis Bertāns and JaVale McGee to bring in more immediate help — and the Thunder’s pick at No. 12.” Hollinger wrote.
“In Oklahoma City’s case, it’s still a long-term play, but the idea is that the Thunder would use their surfeit of future picks to move up in this lottery; they somehow have only one pick this year but are likely to have four firsts in 2024 and still have four future firsts from other teams in 2025 and beyond.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Dallas Mavericks & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
The Mavericks need to get more talent around superstar Luka Doncic, so they could trade their top-10 pick and other role players to acquire elite talent. All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, so his future with Dallas will be determined once free agency starts.
Meanwhile, the Thunder have an incredibly bright future. They not only have a ton of draft picks, but they also have stars on the roster, headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Luguentz Dort. OKC also has Chet Holmgren, the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He missed all of this season after suffering a foot injury last summer.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Dallas Mavericks & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
The Mavericks, despite having Doncic and Irving, didn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament this season. Doncic wasn’t happy about missing the playoffs after reaching the Western Conference Finals last year, so Dallas’ front office is under some pressure this offseason.
As for the Thunder, they exceeded expectations by winning 40 games in the regular season and beating the New Orleans Pelicans in the 9-10 play-in game. OKC’s season ended after the team lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 8-9 play-in game.
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