Any way you slice it, the Mavericks had a good draft.
They traded their pick and four players who were not in the regular rotation to Houston for center Christian Wood and added a second-round pick when Jaden Hardy fell further down the draft board than expected.
Scooping him up at No. 37 cost them two second-round picks, which may or may not convey to Sacramento in 2024 and 2028, was a bonus.
Not a bad haul at all.
But there were other things happening on draft night, which bridged over onto Friday morning before the trades all were made official by the NBA office.
So here’s our four takeaways about the critical issues from draft night, 2022.
PRIORITY NO. 1: The Mavericks still have to figure out a way to retain Jalen Brunson. And, according to widespread reports, the New York Knicks have made it clear they are going to make a serious run at the point guard who will be one of the hottest names on the market when free agency opens next week. It may not be just New York with interest. Other teams will surely kick the tires. It would surprise nobody if Orlando moved into the picture. But the Knicks shed about $15-million in salary cap room on Thursday night to give them more financial freedom to be active in free agency. And more moves are on the way, many reports suggest. And, moreover, the Knicks have hired Rick Brunson, Jalen’s dad, as an assistant coach. Clearly, the Mavericks’ fourth-year player who had a sensational season and playoff run this year is in New York’s crosshairs. “I mean, we’re aware of it but we knew they would do that,” general manager Nico Harrison said of the Knicks’ maneuverings. “We weren’t shocked that they did that. They tried to do it at the trade deadline. (We) don’t really have a concern level. It was expected.” The Mavericks have the advantage of being able to offer Brunson more money than anyone else. They can give him a fifth season and a total package of about $175-million if that’s what it takes. But the Knicks can offer the job of leading one of the glamour franchises in the NBA that has several good young players (R.J. Barrett, Julius Randle) but needs a strong point guard. “Honestly, until he tells us he doesn’t want to be here, we’re optimistic,” Harrison said. “We haven’t heard otherwise, so we’re optimistic. We have to be.”
SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE: The Mavericks had said they would be mindful of players who slip through the cracks as the draft went along. That’s what happened to Hardy. While some early projections had him going in the first round, perhaps even near the end of the lottery, he slipped into the second round. And the Mavericks pounced. They got him from the Kings for a small price. “I had no inclination,” Harrison said. “I just knew that we did the work, we knew the guys we liked and if guys we liked, like Jaden, were available then we would try to get back in (during the second round). You can’t predict that. It happened, so we did as we said we would do. We got in and we got the player that we liked.” That said, the young scorer slipped for a reason. Fans have already penciled him into the rotation, but a lot of ground has to be covered before then. He skipped college to be in the G-League after being a top-three prospect nationally in the high-school class of 2021. The Mavericks expect him to be a long-term fixture on the roster. But expecting immediate impact might be a bit ambitious.
AND THE ROTATION IS? The obvious question after the draft was whether Harrison feels the roster – or at least the heavy lifters – are set. It’s too early to tell, he said. “Well, the biggest question is Jalen Brunson,” he said. “It’s tough to say how set the roster is until you know. Once you know that, you go along with the rest of the plan.” As of now, the front court includes Wood, Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell and Davis Bertāns. The backcourt includes Luka Dončić, Spencer Dinwiddie, Tim Hardaway Jr., Reggie Bullock, Josh Green and Hardy. If you add Brunson, that’s a pretty impressive 12-man core. If not, there would be a spot open for some other creative option.
SUMMER ADD-ONS: The Mavericks will have to figure out how to fill out their summer roster. They were working well into the Friday morning hours trying to sign undrafted players to spots on the team they will send to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas starting July 7. “That won’t be completed for a while,” Harrison said. There have been reports that former Houston Cougar Justin Gorham will be on the summer roster. And former NBA player Kyle Wiltjer tweeted Friday that he’s working out with the Mavericks. Every season, there are one or two summer-league standouts who get an invite to fall training camp, along with the draftees and holdovers who take part in Las Vegas.
Twitter: @ESefko
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