NBA Draft Trade: How Mavs Can Maximize 10th Pick with Nets
With one week remaining until the NBA Draft gets underway, the big questions remains: Will the Dallas Mavericks keep the No. 10 pick to select a young, talented prospect in this year's class, or will they trade it for more win-now help?
There really is no right answer for now, especially since we don't know which top-10 prospect will be available when the Mavs are on the clock. But if Dallas is determined to get the most out of the 10th pick via trade, then this hypothetical deal with the Brooklyn Nets could present the best way to address multiple key roster needs in one summer.
Mavs receive: Nic Claxton, Royce O'Neale, Dorian Finney-Smith, 2023 first-round pick (No. 22)
Nets receive: Josh Green, Maxi Kleber, Davis Bertans, 2023 first-round pick (No. 10)
Unless the Nets plan on extending Nic Claxton or Royce O'Neale, they might want to consider getting something back for them now opposed to potentially losing them in free agency for nothing next summer. Davis Bertans' contract is a negative asset, but he only has two years remaining on his dead, whereas Dorian Finney-Smith, who was a disappointment in Brooklyn after bring traded in the Kyrie Irving deal in February, has three years remaining on his current deal.
Regardless of the actual players involved in this deal, though, the biggest question is: How motivated the Nets would be to jump into the top-10 of this year's draft? That could depend on who falls to No. 10, but if Brooklyn does decide to move on from two players on expiring contracts and another who is owed $44 million through the 2025-26 season, getting 22-year-old Josh Green and a top-10 pick in one of the deeper drafts in recent memory wouldn't be a bad option.
On the Mavs' side, adding Claxton would immediately give them the upgraded center they've been looking for. In 76 games for Brooklyn, Claxton averaged 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting an outstanding 70.5 percent from the field. Perhaps most importantly, he is the same age as Luka Doncic and could be the center in Dallas for the foreseeable future.
Keeping Green, who improved tremendously during the 2022-23 season, would be a fine option for Mavs, but the problem is that they seemingly have too many holes to fill in one summer if they want to get back to being a playoff contender again. Turning two rotation players into three rotation players while still retaining a first-round pick could be the way to go.
We'll find out soon if the Mavs and Nets can come back to the negotiating table nearly six months after they pulled off the Irving deal ... or if any other deals with other teams will materialize.
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