The Dallas Mavericks ended up having a strong 2020 NBA Draft but landing Josh Green with the No. 18 pick wasn’t their first choice. In fact, they were pushing hard to trade up for a particular prospect.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Mavericks were ‘hot’ on Tyrese Haliburton and were offering the No. 18 and No. 31 picks in trade packages to move up. Instead, they were rebuffed by tthe teams within the 7-10 and 11 in the draft order.
“I heard Dallas was up to a lot last night trying to offer 18, 31 and something else, I’m not sure if it was a player or a pick to everyone from, like, seven to 10 to 11,” said Zach Lowe on Thursday’s podcast. “And I’m pretty sure the target was Haliburton. They were hot on Haliburton. They were offering all of these picks to try to move up and get Haliburton. They didn’t get him.”
The Mavericks have been after a secondary playmaker to pair with Luka Doncic throughout the NBA offseason. Being able to trade up for Haliburton would have provided them with precisely that and on a rookie contract, too.
RELATED: Tyrell Terry reveals what the Mavericks are getting with him
Despite not managing to come away with Tyrese Haliburton, the Mavericks still pulled off an intriguing haul in the 2020 NBA Draft. They used the No. 18 pick on Green but stayed busy— bringing in Tyrell Terry with the No. 31 pick and acquired Josh Richardson from the Philadelphia 76ers via trade.
In part of the Richardson trade, the Mavericks also landed the No. 36 pick— resulting in the selection of Tyler Bey. Overall, Dallas was able to emphasize adding talented defensive players and a sharpshooter in Terry to their roster.
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