Dallas Mavericks will trade top-5 pick only for superstar
The Dallas Mavericks have ruled out the possibility of trading their projected top-5 draft pick next year unless it is for a superstar player, according to team owner Mark Cuban.
The Mavs (5-18) have the worst record in the league and are set to miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season when hey finished with a 41-41 record.
For the last two decades, the Mavericks have been one of the most consistent teams in the league, having missed the postseason only once since the 2000-01 season. Due to this consistency, they haven't had a top-10 draft pick since 1998 when they selected Robert Traylor with the No. 6 pick and promptly trade him to the Bucks for Dirk Nowitzki, who was drafted No. 9 by Milwaukee.
The 2017 NBA Draft is one of the deepest in recent years, especially at the point guard position, with the likes of Washingston's Markelle Fultz, NC State's Dennis Smith, UCLA's Lonzo Ball and Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox making rapid strides in the college circuit.
Besides the aforementioned point guards, Kansas forward Josh Jackson and Flordia State's Jonathan Isaac are also projected to be top-5 picks in next year’s draft.
Dallas Mavericks would trade for a superstar
On Sunday, ESPN's Tim McMahon reported that Cuban won't consider trading the upcoming first-round pick unless a top-5 player is made available via trade. "If Herschel Walker calls me up and says, ‘That's better than any deal I've ever been involved with,'" Cuban joked, when asked about trading the pick.
Cuban was referencing the Dallas Cowboys' historical trade of Herschel Walker that set up their highly successful era in the 1990s.
In recent years, the Mavs haven't had the rub of the green on draft nights. The last player they drafted that made a significant impact was Josh Howard, the wing they drafted with the No. 29 pick in 2003. Howard spent seven seasons with the Mavs and also made an All-Star appearance in 2007.
With Nowitzki approaching the final phase of his career, the Dallas Mavericks are searching their next franchise player. Would they find their man during the 2017 draft?
