Dallas Mavericks Draft Update Part 3: Analyzing draft night
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A couple weeks ago we began a series of articles here on Front Porch News, looking ahead at the upcoming NBA draft and what the Dallas Mavericks might potentially do. After almost 10,000 words of looking back on past drafts, it looked like all of that might have been for naught, when the Mavericks traded the 26th pick of the draft to the Houston Rockets for Christian Wood.
As draft night rolled around, Dallas entered the night with no draft picks, although there were rumors floating about that they may try to get back into the draft. The first round came and went and Dallas had yet to make a move.
Jaden Hardy
Then, it happened. Dallas traded their 2024 and 2028 second-round picks to the Sacramento Kings for the 37th overall pick of the draft. With it, Dallas selected Jaden Hardy, a former top prospect and someone who had a ton of draft stock just a year ago.
“I had no inclination,” Harrison said when asked on if he had any inclination that the Mavericks would trade back in to the draft. “I just knew that we did the work, we knew the guys we liked and if guys we liked, like Jaden, were available then we would try to get back in. You can’t predict that. It happened, so we did as we said we would do. We got in and we got the player that we liked.”
Hardy was the ranked No. 2 overall in the ESPN Top 100 back in 2021, behind only Chet Holmgren, who went No. 2 overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Thursday’s draft. Hardy had offers from over 20 top school’s in the nation and looked like the perfect candidate to be a one-and-done, before being a lottery pick in the draft.
Rather than going the college route, Hardy decided to take his talents to the G-League, which proved to be a risky choice. Hardy struggled in his time with G-League Ignite, ultimately causing his draft stock to fall, though he was still projected to be a first round pick and received a Green Room invitation.
Hardy averaged 17.7 points per game, along with 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists, shooting just 37% from the field and 31% from three. While his choice to forego college, it may not be all bad, Dallas Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison spoke about the pick Thursday night.
“We had him higher than 37,” Harrison laughed. “Yeah, we were surprised. We were really shocked that he kept slipping.”
“I have no idea. I can’t tell you what other teams are thinking or saying,” Harrison said, when asked why he thought Hardy slipped to the 37th pick. “I’m glad he did and we are excited that he did. He’s excited to be here so I’m happy he slipped.”
He also spoke about Hardy’s struggles in the G-League and how it affected the team’s evaluation of him. “It actually affected it in a positive way, if that makes sense.”
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“He did struggle early on but then he figured it out. It’s kind of like, if you look at the G-League Ignite as an experiment, it shows that it works.”
Harrison also spoke about Hardy’s upside and what his role on the team could potentially be. “I think you’ve got to give young guys a chance to develop, but definitely. We drafted him because we think he’ll be a rotation player, for sure.”
“I’m not sure yet,” Harrison said, when asked if Hardy will be on the 15-man roster or if he will be signed to a two-way contract. “But either way, we expect him to be a guy that has a long-term future with us.”
He spoke mostly of Hardy’s ability to score as to why they were so high on him. He also spoke about some of the knocks on Hardy, including how “he doesn’t pass the ball. He’s selfish. Those were the kind of knocks on him,” but also went on to say, “But, if you look at the way he played, his team always gave him the ball.”
“They trusted him and know he has the work ethic. He put the time in the gym. If you look at his teammates [where] some of them are veterans, he had the ball in his hands because they gave him the ball. If you see the shot clock running down, they gave him the ball. They only do that for people they trust.”
Ultimately this could turn out to be a great pick for the Mavericks. While Hardy had his struggles in the G-League, he’s still only one-year removed from being the No. 2 ranked prospect in the 2021 class. By playing in the G-League, he also played both with and against older, more experienced guys. At the cost of a 2024 and 2028 second-round picks, the reward could be worth much more than the “risk”.
Christian Wood
The selection of Jaden Hardy technically wasn’t the only move the Mavericks made Thursday. Though it had already been reported, the Christian Wood trade technically wasn’t able to go through until draft night. Due to the Stephen Rule, Dallas wasn’t able to officially trade their draft pick until after the selection had been made, essentially having to make Houston’s selection for them, then making the trade.
“Yeah, I mean, Christian- he gives us something that we don’t have,” Harrison said of the newly acquired big man. “He’s a good rebounder. He’s super athletic. He’ll be great with Luka Doncic in the pick-and-roll.”
“He can play above the rim. He can also shoot. I mean, he’s an offensive guy at that position. He’s an athletic, offensive guy so we’re excited about it.”
Harrison spoke about the Wood trade and how he see’s him fitting with the team. “I mean, not to sound super obvious, but we don’t have a guy that does what he does,” Harrison said.
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“I mean, we just don’t-and there’s several guys in the league that do that, but are you doing to be able to get them or not? He was a guy that we saw that we could get and it just made sense. I mean, he fits a piece that we currently don’t have on our roster.”
Harrison was asked if Wood was seen as a future piece of the organization, given he is entering the final year of his contract. “I think we both offer each other a lot, and so I think we’ll have to do a little bit of showing him and he’ll have to do a little bit of showing us- if that makes sense.”
Jalen Brunson
While that concluded things on the Mavericks end for the night, that wasn’t the only Mavericks-related drama for the evening. The New York Knicks also made a move, clearing cap space, which some people believe was made to make a push for Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson.
“I mean, we’re aware of it but we knew they would do that,” Harrison said, when asked on his concern level after the move. “We weren’t shocked that they did that. They tried to do it at the trade deadline. [We] don’t really have a concern level. It was expected.”
“Honestly, until he tells us he doesn’t want to be here, we’re optimistic,” Harrison said of his level of optimist in retaining Brunson. “We haven’t heard otherwise, so we’re optimistic. We have to be.”
Brunson is set to get a huge deal this summer, and the Knicks are believed to be the Mavericks biggest rival in pursuing him. “Well, the biggest question is Jalen Brunson,” Harrison said when asked how close he felt they are to completing the roster.
“It’s tough to say how set the roster is until you know. That’s going to be the thing that happens. Once you know that, you go along with the rest of the plan.”
Now that the draft has come and gone, free agency is what teams are setting their eyes on. Free agency officially opens Thursday and things could move quickly. While the Mavericks will have to be creative in how they approach free agency, they do have options.
Retaining Brunson is certainly their top priority, but they will also be looking to add additional pieces. While they don’t have the cap space to make big/flashy moves, Dallas could add veteran talent in a number of ways.
The Mavericks have a Taxpayer MLE worth up to $6.3 million and will likely pursue players who are willing to sign for the veteran minimum. Stay tuned to Front Porch News for all Mavericks updates this summer, as well as looking at players who Dallas could possibly be pursuing.
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