The Dallas Mavericks and owner Mark Cuban haven’t been known to rely on the draft to build a successful team, often using free agency to build contending rosters with a core revolving around future hall-of-famer Dirk Nowitzki. The team has had varying success over the last five years in a tough Western Conference, and it feels like they might undergo a full-scale rebuild once Nowitzki decides to retire — he turns 38 next June.
What draft day decisions the past five years have worked out for Dallas?
After winning the 2011 NBA title against the Miami Heat and their “Big 3”, Mark Cuban opted to trade both their first- and second-round picks, 26th overall pick swingman Jordan Hamilton and the 57th pick Tanguy Ngombo to the Trail Blazers for sharpshooting swingman Rudy Fernandez. However, Fernandez never played a minute for the Mavericks before being traded to the Nuggets for a second-round pick.
Dallas owned one first-round pick and one second rounder in the 2012 draft. The team opted for Tyler Zeller at pick 17, before trading him to Cleveland for the 24th, 33rd and 34th picks. At 24th overall, the Mavericks took combo guard Jared Cunningham. Cunningham has bounced around the league, and currently plays for Cleveland as a depth piece. The Mavericks’ pick at 33rd overall was big man Bernard James. James moved between the D-League and NBA for a few years, but currently plays in China.
Dallas might’ve made their best pick at 34th overall, when the team took swingman Jae Crowder. Crowder has developed into a very good starter for the Celtics after Dallas traded him away in December 2014 for point guard Rajon Rondo and power forward Dwight Powell. Lastly, Dallas earned another second rounder after a trade during December 2011 and decided to take combo guard Darius Johnson-Odom who was promptly flipped to the Los Angeles Lakers on draft night.
Dallas was one of the teams to watch in the 2013 draft. The team traded its first pick, 13th overall, to the Boston Celtics for the 16th pick and a pair of second rounders. The Mavericks traded back again, moving the 16th and 44th picks to Atlanta for the 18th overall pick. There, Dallas opted for quick, athletic point guard Shane Larkin.
(Icon Sportswire)
Larkin played just one year for the Mavericks before they traded him to the Knicks in June 2014 for point guard Raymond Felton and center Tyson Chandler. Dallas swapped second rounders with Philadelphia to select at 43rd overall and take swingman Ricky Ledo. Ledo never cracked the playing rotation in Dallas before being waived in February 2015.
Dallas was left out to dry during the 2014 draft. First, trading for forward Lamar Odom in December 2011 cost the Mavericks their 2014 first-round pick. The flipped second rounder from the Kelly Olynyk deal in 2013 was dealt as part of the Knicks trade and Felton/Chandler swap. The Ledo deal in 2013 also cost Dallas another second rounder at 47th overall. Lastly, a third second rounder was traded away when Dallas traded with the Knicks for Felton and Chandler when the Knicks opted for Thanasis Antetokounmpo at 51st overall.
The 2015 draft was the only first-round pick Dallas kept during the last five years. At 21st overall, Dallas selected athletic swingman Justin Anderson. Anderson has shown glimpses as a player during his rookie season, but he still has a ways to go offensively before becoming a reliable rotation player. Lastly at 52nd overall, the Mavericks might have pulled a bit of a publicity stunt taking massive center Satnam Singh to become the first draft pick from India in NBA history.
Grade: C-
The fact that Dallas won a title in 2011 helps this grade a ton. Cuban usually finds a way to piece together competitive teams — even if few of the players on the roster come via their own draft picks. Dallas has made some solid draft decisions during this stretch, most notably (and possibly regrettably) taking Jae Crowder in 2012.
It remains unclear if Justin Anderson will ever be anything more than a role player, but sooner rather than later this team will be ready for a full-scale rebuild once Nowitzki retires. However, expect Cuban to try and work his magic to keep his team successful in the future, although he’ll likely have to do it through the draft in the coming years.
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