Dallas Mavericks: Everything is going according to plan so far

The Dallas Mavericks will not be making a selection in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. That may sound like a loss to most people, but it is exactly the way the Mavs planned things to happen this summer.

When the Dallas Mavericks selected Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft, they knew they were doing so with the future in mind. Luka is a generational talent that has already shown that he can be a star in this league, and the Mavs knew they had to have him. Despite falling in the 2018 draft on lottery night, the Mavs made the necessary move to get their guy.

This move had some important changes with it, though. Dallas had the third worst record in the league and the third best odds to get the top pick. After Phoenix got the top pick with the top odds, the Sacramento Kings jumped into the top 3 despite having the sixth worst record. Then, as fate would have it, the team the Mavs won the coin toss over jumped them in the standings for the third pick.

The Memphis Grizzlies had the next worst odds, giving them the fourth pick in the draft which dropped Dallas to pick five, seemingly out of the running for their guy, Luka. When the rumors of NBA front offices and executives being less than impressed by Luka Doncic started to surface, the Mavs gained a little bit of hope. Still, someone with Luka’s resume should not be dropping to pick five.

The Mavs made a move to acquire their guy and it was at the expense of who may have been their guy in 2019. That was the right move, even if people don’t see it.

Dallas also put a top five protection on the pick, just in case Luka didn’t pan out immediately. When the opportunity came about for the Mavs to be able to continue pushing the team forward with a midseason trade, they immediately pulled the trigger and acquired Kristaps Porzingis.

This move cost the Mavs two more future first round picks in 2021 and 2023. Had the pick not conveyed to Atlanta this year, it would have set off the entire timeline Dallas had formed, changing who knows what kind of plans. Obviously a top five pick would be more immediately beneficial than the timeline that has been set, but at least we knew what was most likely to happen.

Now, the biggest part of the whole plan is taking place this summer when the Mavericks pursue top flight free agents to put together a big three core. With rumors surrounding Kemba Walker, Khris Middleton, Nikola Vucevic and a number of other players, Dallas has a real shot at adding another big piece this year.

With these three guys, Dallas could vault this team into playoff relevance or even contention for years to come. For the price of only three first round picks, none of which will be top 10 (or rather top nine) picks anyways.

Dallas is on the right path right now. They have done everything they wanted to up to this point and one more addition this summer will seal a great year for the team. Whoever the Mavs get, this team is ready for the next step and especially ready to end this rebuild.