Report: Mavericks trade 10th pick, Davis Bertans to Thunder, draft Dereck Lively II

The Dallas Mavericks have traded the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and Davis Bertans to the Oklahoma City Thunder, landing the 12th pick and creating a TPE worth $17.0 million, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Oklahoma City will be selecting Kentucky guard Cason Wallace with the 10th pick. Dallas went on to select Duke big man Dereck Lively II with the 12th pick in the draft.

Lively will help the Mavericks revamp their center position, which has been one of their top goals heading into the summer, as last year, they had a revolving door of big men holding down the five spot.

Report: Mavericks trade 10th pick, Davis Bertans to Thunder, draft Dereck Lively II

The Duke product has been shooting up draft boards in recent weeks, gaining interest from multiple teams around the league. Lively averaged 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game with the Blue Devils in his lone collegiate season.

In the weeks leading up to the NBA Draft, there was a lot of smoke surrounding whether or not Dallas would keep their pick or trade it, and in the end, they decided to trade the pick and get off of Bertans' contract.

Now, the Mavericks will open up a little bit of breathing room heading into free agency, as Bertans' salary will be off the books. This could allow them to target some forward or center help in free agency.

Some names the Mavericks have reportedly been looking at in the past weeks include Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams and Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, both of whom would give Dallas improved depth.

On top of that, the Mavericks will maintain a first round selection in this year's draft, moving back just two spots and getting off a brutal contract in the process.

The one downside to Dallas' trade is that they failed to add any win-now talent to the roster, but now, they will have the opportunity to do that by way of the TPE they generated.

With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving at the helm, the Mavericks will be focused on bouncing back after their failure last season, as they were unable to even make the Play-In Tournament. The Mavericks will need to completely reshape the roster if they hope to push for a championship next season, which will undoubtedly be their ultimate goal.

Now, with the cap space they gained by trading Bertans and Lively on board in Dallas, the Mavericks will have kicked off a crucial offseason with a pair of solid moves.