2023 DRAFT: Mavs take Lively, OMP, sign Mike Miles to 2-way, sign Jordan Walker

[loki]

My point is that he is contributing on a MUCH better roster than ours.  Do you think someone of his talent wouldn't have an even bigger role on this roster?  The idea that we're trading the pick is that we're really close to putting a contender together, they may be able to pull it off and add two starting front court players that fit the bill and bring us back into relevancy but based on that team last year and the new cba it may be better to start developing talent instead of continuing to mortgage the future.

I'm usually pro flipping picks if you have someone like Luka and Kyrie for all of the reasons that you're mentioning but this team doesn't really need some all star proven vet anyway, it needs wing defense, rim protection and rebounding.  Those are things you could get from a rookie pretty early on.

He might have a bigger role, or Kidd might play Ntilikina over him like he did to Hardy. Tough to say.

Personally I see the Mavs as a 5-6 seed talent wise. I don't think they are as bad as last year's record indicates, and they weren't as good as the conference finals appearance led many to believe either. If they can make one big addition this offseason and eventually follow it up with another DFS-caliber starter, they could be right back in contention.

I agree with the needs you listed. That's why I see Anunoby as the most sensible target (best wing defender in the league). If he's not available, look for a Capela or Turner type. Could a rookie help do some of the same things? Maybe so, but not at an elite level right from the start.