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

[ThisIStheYear]

Now that we got our pick, I'd be pretty happy with keeping it and drafting whoever's left (assuming top-4 is Vic/Scoot/Amen/Miller) at #10 and not trading down. I think everyone of them has something to add to our squad that would be awesome (I rank them as the follow):

1) Cam Whitmore (PF): Great athlete that I envision being the 3rd option behind Luka/Kyrie. Very good at absorbing contact and quick to shake bigger bodies.

2) Ausar Thompson (SF): Elite athleticism that could cover our SF position long-term and be a plus defender, also his playmaking skills are pretty decent already.

3) Taylor Hendricks (PF): Good vertical leaper and shot blocker that shot 40% from deep this season. Could also be a small-ball 5.

4) Cason Wallace (PG): Excellent help defender and great on-ball that played on and off the ball at Kentucky.

5) Jarace Walker (PF): Nice lateral movement to defend in isolation and great body already.

6) Anthony Black (SF): Great playmaking skill and the best on-ball defender on the draft.

I know we need to fill the PF/C void, but trading down or out I feel is such a downgrade/waste of talent in this excelent class. These 6 guys will be difference makers.

IMO we need to find players that we wouldn't be sending picks (just old fillers like Hardaway/Bertans/Bullock/Kleber/McGee) for (Harris/Valanciunas/Nurkic/Gafford) to help short-term but don't give up on the long-term.

I’d go the opposite way. Instead of taking the guy who’s falling, the leftover, I’d take the guy who’s rising up from the 20s, who’s flashed some skills and has freakish physical dimensions and/or quickness for his position but for whom expectations may be anchored too much for him to get quite as high as he should.  In this draft, I think that player is Leonard Miller.  Or, I’d trade out and just try to dump as much salary as possible.