The Dallas Mavericks are staying active on draft night, first trading down from No. 10 to 12 to acquire Dereck Lively and a $17 million traded player exception for moving Davis Bertans to the Thunder, and now making another big move.
The Mavs have used their TPE to trade for the No. 24 pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Richaun Holmes, addressing desperate team needs over the frontcourt.
Prosper is a Canadian 6’8″ wing with a 7’1″ wingspan, promising to be an instant contributor on the defensive side. In addition, he is a slasher that can finish to the rim with power, a s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 set that is very useful next to a playmaker like Luka Doncic.
Richaun Holmes fell out of the Kings’ rotation last season and averaged just 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 42 games played while averaging 8.2 minutes per game. He provides another big option for the Mavericks, as the team had no players capable of protecting the rim or rebounding last season. With Lively and Holmes, they’ve rebuilt their center rotation entirely.
The Mavericks Emerge From The Draft As Unlikely Winners
For a team with assets that were at best questionable, they’ve done a great job in getting useful assets without trading a lot away. Bertans was barely a rotational player, and flipping him for Lively was a great move. After that, using the exception they created, acquiring both Holmes and Prosper gives them three rotational assets for one pick and Davis Bertans.
If the team retains Kyrie Irving, they have built out a brighter future by adding Propser and Lively to other good young stars in Josh Green and Jaden Hardy. Perhaps some of these young players are moved later on for a complete reshaping of the roster. The focus will now be on extending Kyrie Irving and returning to contention next season.
