So again on the report:
1) this comes from "multiple league sources" who are saying that "no one is churning harder" than Donnie (so this is NOT a Mavs source, but other teams saying what the Mavs are up to in their phone calls to them)
2) "the Mavericks have a strong desire to trade into the lottery (picks 1-14)"
Playing a little "sleuth" on this....
The Mavs have a really good handle on the international talent scene. So who are the international prospects that are most likely to be lottery bound?
My gut tells me they are targeting Killian Hayes. He fits the "Kemba" mold in the sense of another creator, but he is big enough to guard 1-3. Based on mocks I think he could be a big slider on draft night if things fall right, sliding to the end of the lottery even. This is shocking to me because I have been assuming the Mavs would never have a shot at him. Shoot, Kevin O'Connor who I respect a lot has Killian as #1 (!) on his big board. Do the Mavs also have him super high and are they positioning themselves to grab him if he does indeed slide?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8nq-wAZGkg
NOTE: The Mavs also have the history of trading for the #5 pick to get Devin Harris who was a Wisconsin boy. So doesn't have to be exclusive to the international scene either. I think this draft more than any other has the chance of some really good players sliding pretty far. It makes sense that the Mavs may have their eye on a guy or two and are getting draft deals lined up just in case a slide happens.
One more thought:
Many of the teams with the top 5 picks are open to trading their pick and moving down. Could the Mavs get clever and find a creative way to come up with the ammo to get that high? IMO, a top 5 pick will never be cheaper than this year. What would it take to get there though?
For instance, what would the cost be to get #2 from GSW? They need to win NOW (Steph's window is closing fast). Could the Mavs offer anyone not named Luka/KP to them with picks and would be that be enough or even close to enough?
Again, I think the cost to move up this year because of the lack of clear stars is as cheap as it will EVER be.
1) this comes from "multiple league sources" who are saying that "no one is churning harder" than Donnie (so this is NOT a Mavs source, but other teams saying what the Mavs are up to in their phone calls to them)
- There is no reason to doubt this report because it is coming from multiple places around the league. This doesn't seem to be agent BS or Mavs BS. It is a report on general activity from Donnie's phone calls.
2) "the Mavericks have a strong desire to trade into the lottery (picks 1-14)"
- The "strong" piece jumps out to me. The Mavs must be positioning themselves with possible draft night trade scenarios if a particular player or players fall to certain spots. It doesn't feel like the Mavs would be posturing in this scenario, but they will certainly be tight-lipped about who it is they are interested in. I would suspect we will see NOTHING about the Mavs being connected to any of the guys that might fall in the lottery.
Playing a little "sleuth" on this....
The Mavs have a really good handle on the international talent scene. So who are the international prospects that are most likely to be lottery bound?
- Deni Avdija (Israel)...according to mock drafts he only has a 10% chance of surviving to the 8 pick.
- Killian Hayes (France)...according to mock drafts he has a 40% chance to make it 8....15% to make it to 11....5% to make it to 14.
My gut tells me they are targeting Killian Hayes. He fits the "Kemba" mold in the sense of another creator, but he is big enough to guard 1-3. Based on mocks I think he could be a big slider on draft night if things fall right, sliding to the end of the lottery even. This is shocking to me because I have been assuming the Mavs would never have a shot at him. Shoot, Kevin O'Connor who I respect a lot has Killian as #1 (!) on his big board. Do the Mavs also have him super high and are they positioning themselves to grab him if he does indeed slide?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8nq-wAZGkg
NOTE: The Mavs also have the history of trading for the #5 pick to get Devin Harris who was a Wisconsin boy. So doesn't have to be exclusive to the international scene either. I think this draft more than any other has the chance of some really good players sliding pretty far. It makes sense that the Mavs may have their eye on a guy or two and are getting draft deals lined up just in case a slide happens.
One more thought:
Many of the teams with the top 5 picks are open to trading their pick and moving down. Could the Mavs get clever and find a creative way to come up with the ammo to get that high? IMO, a top 5 pick will never be cheaper than this year. What would it take to get there though?
For instance, what would the cost be to get #2 from GSW? They need to win NOW (Steph's window is closing fast). Could the Mavs offer anyone not named Luka/KP to them with picks and would be that be enough or even close to enough?
Again, I think the cost to move up this year because of the lack of clear stars is as cheap as it will EVER be.