If you didn't know, Donnie Nelson is the man most responsible for bringing Dirk Nowitzki to Dallas. I'd say he nailed it. Beyond that, drafts haven't been kind to the Mavs general manager and president of basketball operations.
Since the Nowitzki draft of 1998, the Mavericks have drafted 28 players. Of the 28, one made an All-Star team. That was Josh Howard and he made just one All-Star team during his career.
The Mavericks simply aren't good at drafting. There's two reasons for that. Dallas has been a playoff squad for the majority of the last decade, which means they're drafting later. Are there quality players late in the draft? Sure, but the odds are better when you're in the lottery. The one time the Mavs actually had a lottery pick was when they traded with the Washington Wizards and selected Devin Harris 5th overall. Harris did make an All-Star team, by the way, in 2009 while playing for the New Jersey Nets.
The other reason the Mavs don't have a great draft history is because the draft hasn't been a priority. If anything, Dallas has used draft picks as currency to shed pay roll or aquire veterans to surround Nowitzki.
The organization has delayed any kind of "rebuilding" effort with Nowitzki still on the roster. They owe it to the Big German to give it a go for a NBA Championship considering what he's meant to the team and the generous paycuts he's taken.
The Mavs have made an effort more recently with the draft. In 2012, they added Jae Crowder, Jared Cunningham and Bernard James. Crowder is an established NBA player, while the other two likely don't have futures in the NBA.
In 2013, they picked up Shane Larkin. That was a bust.
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In 2015, the Mavs drafted Justin Anderson and he looks like a rotational player for years to come. Could he develop into an All-Star? Who knows? But at least they actually used a first round pick and it hit.
Thanks to the awful Rajon Rondo trade during the 2014-15 season, the Mavericks don't have a first round pick this summer. Boston owns the rights to that selection, which is the 16th pick. Anderson was the 21st pick last year, just to give a reference point.
The Mavs scheduled pick is in the second round, the 46th overall selection. For Dallas to hit at 46, the team's scouts likely have to suggest an international player who won't play right away.
So, if you're looking for Dallas Mavericks excitement during the upcoming NBA Draft, you'll likely be disappointed. Donnie may need some Nowitzki-international luck like he had in 1998.
