2022 NBA Draft: #37 Jaden Hardy (6' 3", 6' 9" WS) to DAL | two 2nds to SAC

[soog]

If the Mavs make the pick it should be the best talent available

This is the biggest change I hope to see in the drafting strategy.  I think the mavs have outsmarted themselves in the past trying to find the perfect fit (Green) or more upside in a draft and stash.  

I’ve shifted some in how I think of the draft over the years. I used to think of it as a way to land your next big star or fill that gaping hole in the team’s skill set.  Now I think it is a key mechanism to managing the salary cap.  The only way to effectively manage the cap is having a talent pipeline to manage your turnover.  

If you have guys who are talented enough to contribute on the court, eventually you will need to pay them or lose them.  So you are eventually deciding if you want to re-sign guys like DFS or Brunson.  By prioritizing the draft and specifically prioritizing “best player available” you are streamlining the pipeline for talent to make sure you always have people in the wings to give you that “flexibility” the MBT keeps talking about so much. You then don’t feel like you HAVE to re-sign these guys.  You know you have a cheaper option ready to take the minutes (even if at a slightly lower level of production) and then suddenly guys like DFS and Brunson become trade assets rather than flight risks.

Pick the best guy available even if he is DFS 2.0, or a JB clone.