5 Trades the Dallas Mavericks could make with the 10th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft

Why does Memphis make this deal?

The Grizzlies have had some issues both on and off the court over the last two seasons. Steven Adams seems to be the only mature voice in the locker room, but it appears his words are falling on deaf ears. Memphis likes to win games defensively, and not retaining Dillon Brooks’ services leaves an opening for a defensive-minded wing that can shoot threes.

Most of the draft prospects, aside from Grady Dick, in range of the tenth pick can all have a positive impact defensively.

In this scenario, they could draft a more athletic and rangier player to pair next to Jaren Jackson Jr., instead of Steven Adams, who is still a very good starting center. Most of the players available when the tenth pick is on the clock can shoot the three ball, something that Steven Adams doesn’t even attempt to do.

Although Reggie Bullock isn’t on the same level as Dillon Brooks as a perimeter defender, he’s still above average and has shot 38.4 percent from three for his career.

Replacing Brooks with Bullock could work out better for Memphis, even if Bullock doesn’t end up playing as many minutes or having as big of a role as Brooks did. Reggie Bullock is also a good guy off the court who could replace a little bit of the veteran leadership that would be vacated by Steven Adams leaving in this deal.

Why does Dallas do this deal?

The biggest glaring need for the Mavs is finding a legitimate starting center that can rebound and play defense. Steven Adams is that guy.

It is also worth mentioning that Adams is an oustanding screener, which is commonly overlooked, but something Luka Doncic would love to have.

Adams turns 30 in July and has had a few injuries over the last three seasons, but he’s also coming off of a career-high 11.5 rebounds per game. No, he isn’t going to score a lot, but he addresses a lot of the weaknesses that Dallas is desperately looking to fill.

Jake LaRavia is a 21-year-old forward coming off of a rookie season that only saw him play in 35 games and average 11.8 minutes per game.

However, he was drafted 19th overall in the 2022 draft and has been projected to be a high-end role player. He is a willing passer, can shoot the ball, and plays the game with high intelligence.

LaRavia could be the most valuable player in this deal long term, but he still needs some seasoning in the NBA.

John Konchar most likely would be an end-of-the-rotation player, but he’s shown the ability to be a solid 3-point shooter and gets more rebounds than you would expect for a guy his size. He averaged 4.3 rebounds per game last season.