Dallas Mavericks: 5 best Mavs moments of the last decade

4. The Mavs trade up to draft Luka

Luka Doncic is well on his way to greatness. He’s already accomplishing things that no player has ever done as a 20-year-old.

In June of 2018, Mavs fans were absolutely stunned and thrilled when the team traded up to the third pick to secure the rights of the Slovenian teenaged sensation. Doncic had no business being available even at third overall.

This is not even just with the benefit of hindsight. Most of the major national scouting outlets had Doncic ranked in the top-two. He was, at the time, perhaps the most accomplished scouting prospect ever.

Doncic was dominating in the second-best league in the world. He had won a Euroleague MVP, Euroleague Finals MVP, and a EuroBasket title where he was named to the first team all-tournament roster. Luka appeared in an NBA preseason game at just 16 years old. Every single test that was ever put in front of him at that point he had passed with flying colors.

All of this and three teams decided to pass on him. For that reason, Mavericks supporters will be eternally grateful. They rejoiced on Twitter and Facebook and podcasts that night. It was a cause for celebration.

It marked the start of a new era. The Dallas Mavericks were aggressive and got their guy. Now, we’re all better off for it.

Next: The greatest comeback in Mavs history