Mavs Trade For Hawks' John Collins in NBA Draft Move from No. 10?
DALLAS — As the 2023 NBA Draft nears, the Dallas Mavericks continue to explore potential trade maneuvers using the 10th pick. After a 38-44 finish to the 2022-23 season, there is pressure to add impactful talent around Luka Doncic and impending free agent Kyrie Irving.
Among the Mavs' top communicated roster-improvement focuses this offseason are defense and rebounding. The team ranked 26th in defensive rating and 30th in total rebounding percentage last season.
"I think for us going into the offseason, the two biggest things that we need to work on is defense and rebounding," Mavs general manager Nico Harrison said during his media exit interview. "That's going to be addressed."
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, the Mavs are considering trading down from the 10th pick to acquire veteran help in the process. There is a need to add more win-now talent around Doncic and Irving.
"The Mavericks are considering options to move down from No. 10 into the middle of the first round, sources said, to pick up a veteran rotation piece to help support Luka Doncic and free agent-to-be Kyrie Irving," Fischer wrote.
Among the potential trade scenarios the Mavs have discussed include a possible deal with the Atlanta Hawks for John Collins and the the 15th pick in exchange for the 10th pick and Davis Bertans. Nothing is imminent regarding that possibility.
"The Mavericks and Hawks, for example, discussed the idea of swapping Davis Bertans and the No. 15 pick for John Collins and the No. 10 pick, sources said, although those talks do not appear to have progressed at this time," Fischer wrote.
Collins averaged 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 71 games during his 2022-23 campaign. He shot 50.8 percent from the floor, 29.2 percent from 3-point range, and 80.3 percent from the free throw line.
The Mavs have now been linked to multiple trade targets in scenarios involving the 10th pick, including Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons along with Collins. Neither of those options would bolster a unit's defensive capabilities.
As the NBA Draft approaches, expect the Mavs to continue to be linked to no shortage of trade buzz. Last year, they agreed to a deal using the 26th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft to acquire Christian Wood from the Houston Rockets in prior to draft day..
Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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