The Mavericks are open to all possibilities as they approach the June draft, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Because they plan on making a run at Dwight Howard, they may consider trading their draft pick to save ~$1.7MM against the salary cap. The Mavs owe a future draft choice (2017 or '18) to the Thunder and Sefko suggests that Dallas might want to think about giving its No. 13 pick this year to OKC to satisfy that deal. It's an interesting idea, but I don't think a lottery pick in the current draft is equivalent in value to a promised pick four or five years down the line. Here's more out of Dallas..
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com is sizing up the Mavs against the Clippers as the two teams will vie for Chris Paul's services this summer. As the Clippers search for their next coach, MacMahon writes that the Mavs have the edge in the coaching department with Rick Carlisle at the helm.
- Meanwhile, when comparing the power forward position for each team, the advantage clearly goes to the Clippers and Blake Griffin, MacMahon writes. Finances could be a factor, however, as Dirk Nowitzki has declared that he'll take a massive pay cut when he re-signs with Dallas next summer, which means the Mavs will have the cap space to pursue another star.
- More from Sefko, who looks at potential candidates for the Mavericks to draft if they wind up keeping their No. 13 pick.