We don’t know what will happen Thursday night. With the 2018 NBA Draft almost upon us, organizations and fans alike are entering crunch time. With just a few words, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will validate or render void thousands of words and mock drafts while countless hopes and dreams hang in the balance. For the Dallas Mavericks, their future rests on who they take in the draft. While only time will tell who will cross the stage and don a blue Mavs hat, there is a glimpse that the team is doing what it can to land its guy.
Monday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said in a televised draft special that Dallas is targeting 19-year-old Slovenian forward Luka Doncic. When Woj speaks, everyone listens.
Currently, the Mavericks have the fifth overall pick. While many consider Doncic one of the two best players in this year’s class, recent mock drafts have him sliding from the top spots, inching closer to fifth. Of course, putting much stock in a “mock” anything is a futile endeavor. However, it does reveal a window into the Mavs’ possible paths forward.
In front of Dallas sit the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, and Memphis Grizzlies — who draft in that order. It’s widely assumed that the Suns are all in on University of Arizona big man DeAndre Ayton with the first pick. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. Doncic, though, still might go early. The Mavericks’ unlucky, but mathematically probable, fall to fifth during the NBA Draft Lottery certainly stings now.
If Wojnarowski’s right, the Mavs are doing their due diligence and contacting the teams in front of them to see if they need to move up via trade. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be cheap. Dallas will almost certainly have to give up the fifth pick—understandable, given the circumstances.
Then it gets tricky.
The Mavericks have a dearth of assets. Harrison Barnes is perhaps their best trade chip but his market value likely doesn’t match that of his max contract. Barnes is on the books for $49.2 million over the next two seasons with a player option for the last season. That’s not an easy deal to move. Regardless, Dallas views him as a core member of the team as well as a great presence in the locker room and community so they might not be inclined to kick the tires on shipping Barnes off.
They also have a first-round draft pick next summer. Again, though, the Mavs may view it as too valuable to their rebuilding efforts to unload. For all the front office’s talk of not being in the lottery next year, a core of three young, top draft picks must be tantalizing.
Dallas has some tough choices to make as draft night draws near. Moving up isn’t a certainty. Nothing is. However, knowing that the Mavs are at least willing to go after Doncic is a good sign. He is potentially the most NBA ready player in the draft. Mark Cuban is never one to settle. He should treat the draft no differently in that regard. Hopefully for the Mavs, that persistence pays off Thursday night.
