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The Dallas Mavericks rode fortunate lottery luck to land No. 1 pick and Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. Now they're surrounding their young franchise player with as many high picks as possible.
This week, Dallas traded for the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Zaccharie Risacher, and signed Jett Howard, the No. 11 pick in 2023, to a two-way deal. It's another move in Masai Ujiri's patient roster-building for the Flagg Era.
Dallas Mavericks buying low on young talent
Risacher hasn't been impressive in his two NBA seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. His scoring dropped from 12.6 PPG to 9.6 in his second season and saw his minutes decline in the second half of the season — coinciding with the Hawks surging.
That's why the Mavericks only had to give up second-year guard Ryan Nembhard to land Risacher. They got Howard, who struggled to crack the Orlando Magic rotation in his three seasons, for free. Trading for 25-year-old Santi Aldama and 2023 first-rounder Marcus Sasser cost them two second-round picks and a highly protected 2030 first.
Thanks to the savings from trading Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards at the February trade deadline, the Mavericks were able to take all these reinforcements into cap space. They're hoping at least one of Risacher, Sasser and Howard deliver on their draft pedigree, but it's only costing them a roster spot to find out, in a season they're unlikely to compete.
Masai Ujiri and Dallas Mavericks working around draft limitations
The Mavericks are forced to gamble on reclamation projects because they're low on draft capital themselves. They owe next year's first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets unless it's in the top two. From 2028-30, various teams can swap for the Mavs' pick, though they own the Lakers' 2029 first-rounder. Dallas doesn't have a single second-round pick through 2033.
That's why their best move is to grab players with pedigrees who have struggled for whatever reason in the NBA. At this point, the only players who are clearly part of the Mavericks' future are Flagg and this year's No. 9 pick, Morez Johnson. Perhaps the Mavericks can add more picks if they move veterans like Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington or Kyrie Irving, but for now, they're essentially thrift shopping for talent.
Trades that preceded Ujiri's hiring have tied his hands when it comes to roster building. He's making some intriguing gambles using his limited resources.
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