Mark Cuban was blunt when asked about the possibility of the Dallas Mavericks dealing their first-round draft pick, essentially telling a Dallas radio station that the team intended on getting rid of the No. 13 overall selection.
NBA Draft 2013 rumors: Mark Cuban says Dallas Mavericks likely to trade No. 13 pick
Mark Cuban didn’t deny the Dallas Mavericks’ interest in trading their first lottery pick since 2000, telling a radio station that it wasn’t likely his team will hold on to the No. 13 overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft.
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The report comes from the Dallas Morning News, who transcribed an interview Cuban had on KTCK, where he discussed the team’s interest in trading:
“That is the case. The numbers are the numbers. If I’m going to talk about cap and CBA I can’t BS my way around that. ... There’s risk involved. If somebody falls that we think is going to be a superstar and nobody else does, then we’ll make the pick. I don’t think that’s likely.”
Not many owners will come out and say it’s not likely that they use their pick, for leverage purposes, but that’s the beauty of Cuban.
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One might think that the Mavs would be anxious to hold on to their pick, the first lottery selection the team has had since 2000. But with Cuban’s pockets deeper than most owners, the Mavs have never made their success through drafting. With the exception of Dirk Nowitzki, who was selected all the way back in 1998, the key players on their 2011 title team were either brought in through trade, free agency or undrafted.
With regards to that, Cuban also discussed the team’s free agent plans over the next two seasons.
“...in essence you get to come in and it’s you and we have room for two more max-out free agents. So that’s why when I talk about a two-year plan, that’s the concept. So part of our sales pitch is look, we’re not going to try and fool you and say you and Dirk and Shawn and Vince [Carter] and fill are basically a championship caliber team. Maybe you can get on a run, maybe we can get the right guys, maybe we’re pretty good, but the reality is come next year you’re going to work with us and Dirk to go out there and pick your team.”
That’s a tremendously interesting quote, since it seems to indicate that Nowitzki -- currently making $19 million per year -- would be likely to take a major pay decrease in order to keep the Mavs relevant alongside somebody who chose Dallas on the free agent market.
“If you ever go to Hoops Hype, and go to the rumors page on a PC, notice: you’re seeing Mavs there every time. Every time. That’s where every player and every free agent in the NBA goes to keep up with the rumors. So you see Mavs in the community, you see little features on Mavs players, and players see that all the time. So that’s kind of the way we back door promote ourselves. It’s always the Mavs.”
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