6 Sleeper targets for Mavericks in the 2023 NBA Draft a la Jaden Hardy

The Dallas Mavericks own the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. This is their first year drafting in the lottery since selecting Luka Doncic in 2018. Last year, the Mavericks entered the draft without a first or second-round pick due to previous trades.

In the 2022 NBA Draft, once the second round began, an intriguing prospect had yet to hear his name called. The Mavs acted quickly and traded back into the draft to select Jaden Hardy with the 37th overall pick. The Mavs dealt the Sacramento Kings two future second-rounders for the rights to Hardy.

Hardy averaged 17.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while playing for the G League Ignite. Hardy was a former 5-star prospect who ended his high school career as the 2nd ranked player in ESPN's Top 100.

Could the Dallas Mavericks trade into the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft in an attempt to snag another steal?

The Mavs saw an opportunity to draft a top-tier talent and did so. Luckily for Dallas, they reaped the benefits. Hardy turned into a solid contributor off the bench, averaging 8.8 points, shooting 43.4% from the floor and 40.4% from three - a far cry from shooting 35% from the field and 27% from three in the G-League. These percentages most likely led to his draft day slide.

Should the Mavs capitalize on another falling prospect as they did with Hardy a year ago? It seems like a good idea, as the Mavs roster consists of older players besides Doncic, Hardy, and recent first-round draft choice Josh Green. Adding another potential contributor on a rookie-scale salary would do wonders for the Mavs.

Let's take a look at a few prospects who could drop in this year's draft and a few prospects who might be better than their current projected draft slot. I have utilized NBADraft.net's "Big Board" to identify potential draft "fallers" and undervalued prospects.