Thursday night, the surprise of the NBA Draft occured when the Dallas Mavericks showed their willingness to move up in the draft to get their man. In a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, the Mavericks acquired the 3rd pick in the draft for their 5th overall pick and a future first rounder. The fit for the trade was perfect, as the Mavericks reportedly wanted a higher pick, and the Atlanta Hawks were willing to trade down to get Trae Young.
After Doncic played a long grueling season with Real Madrid and won a championship, the Mavs believe he should be rested for the upcoming Summer League.
Doncic, 19, the youngest player to be named the Euroleague MVP, also led Slovenia to the Eurobasket championship in September. With Doncic playing competitively for most of the past 10 months, the Mavs believe he would benefit more from a break than from playing in the NBA’s summer league.
Mavs point guard Dennis Smith Jr., a second-team All-Rookie selection last season, is expected to play at least a couple of games in Las Vegas. The Mavs plan for Doncic to join the team in Las Vegas to support his teammates and work with team staffers, as a strength and conditioning program will be a priority for Doncic as he makes the transition to the NBA.
During the offseason, the Mavericks will have the advantage of working Luka Doncic into the NBA with NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki teaching him his ways. Luka Doncic is already a scary good playmaker as a point guard with a forwards build, but Dirk could out Doncic over the top by teaching him his aray of dominant scoring moves. Prior to joining Dallas, Doncic averaged 14.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game on 46% shooting this season.
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