The Dallas Mavericks have reportedly locked in on one player in this week’s NBA Draft, but they may need to get further up the board than No. 5 if they want to be assured he will be available.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Mavs have “targeted” European star point guard Luka Doncic and are contemplating trading up to draft him.
Woj says the Mavs have their targets set on Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/P1sSCRyg6q
— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) June 18, 2018
“Dallas at five, they’re asking themselves can we stay at five and get Luka Doncic, or do we have to move up to get the player?” Wojnarowski said Monday night. “That is the guy they have targeted, the Mavericks.”
Woj added that the teams picking in the top three or four — the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies — have started fielding more calls about trades with the draft set to take place on Thursday. Arizona star DeAndre Ayton seems like a lock to go to Phoenix at No. 1, but there has been talk that Doncic could go as high as No. 2. The Mavs have to decide if they are willing to put together a package to move up that far or if they like any other players enough to risk missing out on Doncic.
We have already heard talk of another team potentially trading up for Doncic, so teams in the top few spots may be able to start a bidding war.
