Southwest Notes: Bagley, Ariza, Cousins

Duke’s Marvin Bagley III has consistently been mentioned as a top-three draft pick who may drop a spot or two further. If he does slip, the Mavericks could have interest in Bagley as the team wields the fifth overall pick. However, The Ringer’s Jonathan Tjarks spoke to the Dallas Morning News about why Bagley may not be the ideal pick for the Mavericks.

I’m pretty sure the top four will be some order of [Luka] Doncic, [DeAndre] Ayton, [Jaren] Jackson and Bagley,” Tjarks said. “Porter and Bamba could get up there. Bagley, he’d be a good roll man. He could do a lot of the things Dwight Powell does, obviously a lot better. The tough part of Bagley is if you put him at the 5 he’s unlikely to anchor a defense, and if you play him at the 4 he doesn’t have the shooting that Rick [Carlisle] wants at the 4. It’s a tough fit. He put up a bunch of stats, but I’m not sure how much he fits into Rick’s scheme because he doesn’t really fit into the 4 or 5.”

As it stands, Bagley is unlikely to even be available when the Mavericks’ turn to pick comes up. Luka Doncic, Deandre Ayton, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Bagley are expected to round out the top four picks.

Check out more Southwest Division notes below:

  • The Rockets will have a ton of decisions to make this summer, among them being veteran Trevor Ariza. He is set to hit free agency this summer and after several productive seasons in Houston, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype examines four potential destinations for Ariza. In addition to re-signing with Houston, Urbina views a reunion with the Knicks and joining the Thunder or Pelicans as possibilities.
  • Coming off a devastating torn Achilles, DeMarcus Cousins‘ monetary hopes in free agency this summer took a massive blow. He will have a hard time securing the max deal he was once expected to receive, but he should still be a popular target. In a separate story, Urbina writes that in addition to the incumbent Pelicans, the Lakers, Mavericks, and Spurs are possible destinations.
  • As we relayed earlier, an extension or a trade are the most likely outcomes for the Spurs and Kawhi Leonard this offseasonas neither side would want to head into next season without some sort of resolution.
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