On NBA Draft night, teams typically have their intended pick leaked a few moments prior to them making their selection by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. It makes for good information reaching not only fans but teams so they can better assess how the draft will pan out.
But for Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, maintaining a concealed draft pick was crucial in locking down Dennis Smith Jr, as another team could have very well stolen the Mavs' idea. Turns out, Cuban gave a discomforting ultimatum to his entire staff if their pick was leaked.
“The closer it gets to the (No. 9) pick, the more tense it became,” Cuban began. “I said, ‘OK, two things. One, when I'm on the phone, everybody shut up. Two, if this gets to Wojo before our pick, whoever we find out did it is fired.'”
A staff member even recalled how exhilarating the experience was when drafting Dennis Smith Jr.
“Mark said, ‘OK, we're going to give Woj a pump fake,' ” the staffer said. “Then he said, ‘No one touches their phones or they're fired.' Coming from The Boss, you take it seriously.”
Amidst the frenzy of messages the Mavs received regarding their intended pick, the organization locked down and ended up getting what they wanted: an explosive point guard ready to make an immediate impact as a first rounder.
Follow Us
Subscribe