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

2012 NBA Draft: Khris Middleton over Jae Crowder with the 34th pick

Sticking with the 2012 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks originally selected Jae Crowder with the 34th pick. This was also part of the deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where the Mavericks gave up the 17th pick (i.e. Tyler Zeller).

Luckily for the Mavericks, they got the better player in Crowder, who has been a solid player. He’s enjoyed a long career and has found more success than Zeller. 

However, not only did the Mavericks miss out on Draymond Green at pick 35, but they also failed to select Khris Middleton, who the Detroit Pistons drafted at pick 39, just five selections later.

Five picks is a large margin in the first round, but when things get messy in the second, anything can happen. Picking up Middleton for their dream team makes a ton of sense for Dallas.

Middleton is a three-time All-Star and one-time NBA Champion with the Milwaukee Bucks, thriving alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo as the team’s go-to bucket-getter.

His outside shooting and shot creation would be an amazing fit on the dream team Mavericks, and snagging him and Green with back-to-back picks would have been a haul in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Dallas could have had two All-Stars, and in this hypothetical scenario, that’s exactly what they’ll come away with.