The Dallas Mavericks went to great lengths near the end of the 2022-23 NBA season to secure their 2023 first-round pick. Had the selection landed outside of the top 10 it would have been sent to the New York Knicks, who own it from the Kristaps Porzingis trade. The Mavericks did everything in their power to retain the selection, tanking at the end of the season to miss the postseason.
That is a decision that brought them some solace at the moment, but there is plenty of work remaining to do. Dallas now has to figure out how to turn that selection into a piece that can help the team win on the court.
The Mavericks have a superstar in Luka Doncic but have lost more pieces than they have been able to replace. The trade for Kyrie Irving ended up being disastrous as the team crumbled and he is now hitting free agency.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors & Dallas Mavericks Updates
Before the Mavericks can officially work on bringing him back, the No. 10 pick in the draft will be shopped around. In a recent mock draft done by Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, they find a taker in the form of the Toronto Raptors.
Buckley mocked the Mavericks trading Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, the No. 10 pick and a 2027 first-round pick to the Raptors in exchange for two-way star, OG Anunoby. The Raptors are likely retooling this offseason after firing head coach Nick Nurse and this move would help them in that regard.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors & Dallas Mavericks Updates
The No. 10 pick, Leonard Miller in this case, can become part of the new core with Scottie Barnes Jr. Also in this scenario, Scoot Henderson joins the core, as the Raptors acquired in a trade with the Houston Rockets centered around Pascal Siakam in the same mock draft. That 2027 pick could be extremely valuable if Doncic forces his way out of town as well.
The Mavericks land an impact player they desperately need. This is a team that lacked defensive versatility without Dorian Finney-Smith, who was part of the trade package to land Irving. Anunoby is arguably the best defender in the NBA and is the perfect No. 3 option behind Doncic and Irving with his catch-and-shoot ability.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors & Dallas Mavericks Updates
That trio should be enough for at least a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Based on what we have seen in the playoffs this year, if they get hot it could even be enough to make a deep run depending on how the rest of the depth rounds out.
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