The Dallas Mavericks are coming off their first campaign missing the playoffs in four years, which was also just the second time in the last 17 seasons. The 33 wins were also the lowest total since the strike-shortened 1998-99 season.
All of these have clearly put the franchise in a transition period of deciding whether to go with a full rebuild or acquire more veteran talent to surround Dirk Nowitzki in his last few seasons. According to Eddie Sefko of the Sports Day, the Mavericks appear to be headed toward the former.
Regardless of where they pick, a source said Thursday that the team is likely to keep the pick rather than trade it for a more established NBA player.
Dallas had already made steps towards that direction this past season by waiving a pair of veteran starters in Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut shortly after the trade deadline in February. The front office had also begun assembling a young roster around Nowitzki with the likes of Harrison Barnes, Seth Curry, Yogi Ferrell, and Nerlens Noel.
The Mavericks possess an 81.3 percent chance that they grab the ninth overall pick, 12.2 percent that it falls to the 10th spot, 1.7 percent for the No.1 overall selection, two percent for the second spot, and 2.4 percent chance for the third overall pick. This is the team's only selection in the 2017 NBA Draft due to their second rounder being dealt away as part of the trade for Noel this past season.
The front office will likely use that selection to add more help in the backcourt specifically at point guard. Regardless of where their first-round pick winds up, Dallas is in a decent position to add a promising prospect in this year's draft.
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