Building a Mavericks “dream team” if they picked right in every NBA Draft

2018 NBA Draft: Jalen Brunson with the 33rd pick

This is both a major win and a painful reminder of a massive failure for the Dallas Mavericks, as they absolutely nailed their second pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Dallas held the 33rd pick in the draft and selected Jalen Brunson, who is now an absolute star in the NBA - for the New York Knicks.

In the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Brunson emerged as one of the best players on the Mavericks, leading them on a surge while Luka Doncic was sidelined and continuing his success once the Slovenian superstar returned.

Unfortunately for the Mavericks, they failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension with Brunson prior to the deadline, meaning he was an unrestricted free agent the following summer.

That’s when the Knicks swooped in and stole Brunson, likely breaking some tampering rules in the process. But all that matters now is that the Mavericks lost Brunson for nothing.

In this hypothetical world, however, that wouldn’t happen. The Mavericks would get to keep Brunson and pair him alongside Doncic and the rest of the stars picked up in this exercise without risk of losing him.

It’s great that the Mavericks get to have Brunson back for this dream team, but it’s brutal to think about because they should still have him in real life.