Mavericks: Luka Doncic takes top spot in Bleacher Report 2018 re-draft

The Dallas Mavericks made a bold move in the 2018 NBA Draft by trading two first-round picks to move up from fifth to third overall to select Luka Doncic, and it paid off handsomely. Doncic won Rookie of the Year before being named to the All-NBA first-team two straight years. The 22-year-old is arguably one of the top five players in the league after his third season and should only get better.

Bleacher Report re-drafted the 2018 class using the information from the players first three seasons in the NBA. Luka was the unquestioned number one pick and has a five-year market value of $379.7 million per FiveThirtyEight. It is nearly double the value of the historic max contract extension he signed with the Mavs this summer.

Luka going number one overall was no surprise, but some interesting tidbits did come out of the Bleacher Report re-draft. Let us take a closer look at who the Dallas Mavericks picked and where Jalen Brunson went.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic goes number one in Bleacher Report re-draft

Doncic is on a historic pace that made him the unquestioned number one overall pick, but things get a bit more difficult after that selection.

The Mavericks stayed at fifth in the re-draft and selected Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 6’6 wing averaged 23.7 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in his third NBA season on incredible efficiency. The 23-year-old has the potential to be a multiple-time All-Star and finish his career as the second-best player to come out of the 2018 draft.

The Mavericks were proven right on Jalen Brunson. They viewed him as a first-round pick heading into the draft, but he slipped to Dallas at 33rd overall. JB jumped to 17th overall in this re-draft and has the potential to climb even further. The 25-year-old had a breakout third NBA season and is primed to take another step this year, so fans should not be surprised he landed as a mid-first round selection.

The Dallas Mavericks made a historic and franchise-altering move to secure Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft. The 22-year-old is an unstoppable offensive force that has led his team to the playoffs two straight years with the best still yet to come. Fans do not want to miss a second of the action, so stay locked in to see what Luka can accomplish next.