Mavericks have a shot to embarrass team that gifted them Luka Doncic in draft

The Dallas Mavericks embarrassed the Sacramento Kings by drafting Luka Doncic No. 3 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, given the Kings selected Marvin Bagley III with the No. 2 pick in that draft after passing on Doncic. Now, Dallas will have an opportunity to embarrass Sacramento in a similar capacity with this coming draft.

The Kings are picking No. 7 in this summer's draft, while the Mavericks are slated to pick at No. 9, and there's no doubt the Mavericks have an opportunity to find a steal at No. 9. The Kings gifted Dallas Doncic in 2018, and while maybe not of the same magnitude, they could certainly gift the Mavericks a great player once again this season, as their falters on recent draft selections cannot be discounted.

Mavericks could embarrass Kings again in this draft, just like in 2018

If the Kings pass up on one of the coveted point guards in this draft like Dairus Acuff Jr. or Mikel Brown Jr., the Mavericks could very well have a steal on their hands at No. 9. Under Vivek Ranadive, the Kings have been extremely shaky from a front office perspective, as they have drafted many players that positionally overlap or don't fit well in recent seasons, so the Mavericks are in prime position to take advantage of their lackluster scouting corps, just as they did in 2018.

Ironic as it is, given Bagley III is now on the Mavericks' roster heading into free agency this summer, there wasn't widespread criticism of the Kings when they drafted him over Doncic back in 2018, as skeptics didn't come to bat until Doncic was more established in his rookie season.

With the talent and sheer guard play from some of the prospects toward the top of the lottery in this class, the Mavericks could very well have the opportunity to finesse a great prospect from Sacramento again, despite picking two slots behind them.

The Mavericks' No. 9 pick is crucial for many reasons

Even though Doncic is no longer on Dallas' roster, the fact that he dropped to them at No. 3 in the 2018 NBA Draft is something Kings fans are still bitter over, as revisionist history proves Doncic was far and away the best player from that draft class, outside of maybe only former Maverick Jalen Brunson. Bagley III is molding into a reliable two-way big for the Mavericks, but there's obviously no point in comparing him to Doncic as far as career impact is concerned.

The Mavericks' upcoming pick is crucial in terms of building the roster around Cooper Flagg to the best of their ability, but a fun footnote to follow from this draft is whether they can embarrass the Kings again.

As much as the Mavericks have made their own mistakes over the past few seasons, the Kings have been one of the laughingstocks of the NBA in recent seasons, and Kings fans would be absolutely miserable if the Mavericks were able to secure an advantage from them in terms of who they draft at pick No. 9 compared to pick No. 7.

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