Michael Finley joked that he was tempted to demand a recount when the Mavericks landed the fifth pick at Tuesday’s lottery, relays Dwain Price of Mavs.com. Dallas’ VP of basketball operations decided to remain professional at the event and is optimistic the team can land an impact player. The Mavs came into the lottery with the third best chance to win the top choice and a guarantee to fall no lower than sixth.
“It’s a deep draft with some great young talent, so at the fifth pick I think we’ll still be able to get a player that can come in and help us immediately,” Finley said. “It’s a wide variety of sizes and talent in the draft when you look at some of the point guards, some of the wing guys and the big guys.
“Like I said, it’ll give us a great opportunity to get one of those players, and hopefully that player can help us so we won’t be at this lottery next year.”
There’s more tonight from Dallas:
- The ping pong balls didn’t bounce the Mavericks’ way, but there’s no guarantee the team will hold onto the No. 5 pick, owner Mark Cuban tells Dalton Trigg of 247Sports.com. “We are never content,” Cuban said. “We will be open to any and all options.”
- The Mavericks should be careful not to try to make up for the lottery disappointment by becoming overly aggressive in free agency, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. He advises the team to build slowly and not do something risky like offering a max deal to DeMarcus Cousins, who continues to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
- Dallas will take a long look at Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. with the fifth pick, Sefko states in a separate piece. Porter missed almost the entire college season with back problems, but his physical gifts still make him a promising NBA prospect. Magic executive Pat Williams, whose team owns the sixth pick, said DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley III and Jaren Jackson Jr. are expected to be the first four taken, with Porter, Mo Bamba, Wendell Carter and maybe Trae Young going right afterward.
Move the pick.
Dallas is probably going to take Mo Bamba. Pair PG Dennis Smith with the center then find a wing in next year’s draft and you could have the makings of a decent young trio. Wings usually get the publicity because of their scoring, but PG and C are a lot harder to find than a scorer.
Bamba is Noel 2.0
If you took the laziness out of Noel, you’d have Bamba. But still think Bamba has the biggest bust potential outside of Doncic.
Trade up to #3 or take Bamba at 5.
Don’t worry about drafting a power forward – draft a shooter and the go hard after Julius Randle
PG – Smith Jr
SG – eh Matthews
SF – Barnes
PF – Randle
C -Bamba
Seems simple enough.
That would be the logical thing to do.
Yup. I can see them going after Capela, Nurkic or even Brook Lopez instead of Randle if they like Michael Porter Jr. or Jaren Jackson Jr. more than Randle & Bamba pairing.
Dark Horse is they max out Boogie for 4 years.
There’s no way Randle leaves the Lakers unless George and Cousins both join up there.
Randle has already packed his bags. LA wants PG13, LBJ, etc… Mavs will give him an offer sheet on Day 1 of FA. LA will have 3 days to match. I doubt they’ll know if PG13 or LBJ are coming at that time.