Trading No. 10 NBA Draft Pick is Mavericks' Best Option amid Deandre Ayton Rumors

The 2023 NBA playoffs are nearing the final act, and the Dallas Mavericks have spent the entire postseason as spectators. This was not the plan, not with superstar Luka Dončić at the heart of the roster and certainly not with eight-time All-Star Kyrie Irving entering the equation at the trade deadline.

However, there wasn't enough depth, injuries took their toll, and Dončić seemed to be less engaged as the losses mounted.

Dallas now finds itself at a crossroads. This doesn't feel like a team that is a role player away from title contention, but taking a slow rebuilding approach could be problematic too.

Dončić has four years remaining on his max rookie extension, but the fifth year is a player option. If the Mavericks aren't significantly more competitive within the next couple of seasons, they run the risk of losing the 24-year-old altogether.

This is part of the reason why Irving may well be back next season on a max contract.

"I hear they had a handshake deal before the trade [with the Brooklyn Nets]," one source told Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus. "And Kyrie wouldn't have said yes to anything less than the max."

The Mavericks may look to create a three-year window with Dončić and Irving.

"I hear he's going back to Dallas on a 3+1 [a player option on the fourth year]. His contract will line up [identically] with Luka's." one player agent said, per Pincus.

That window is precisely why Dallas could swing hard to land a high-end player to partner with Dončić and Irving this offseason. According to Pincus, many around the league believe Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton could be the primary trade target:

Ayton, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, would be a logical target if the Mavs are betting on upside. He hasn't quite lived up to his draft status or his four-year, $133 million second contract. That deal also includes a one-year no-trade clause that went into effect on January 15.

However, the 24-year-old has been a solid contributor—he averaged 18 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists this past season—who could help Irving and Dončić if he's willing to be a part of the team. He may not have reached his ceiling yet, either.

Acquiring Ayton would be a bet on the ability of Jason Kidd and his staff to get more out of the Arizona product than Phoenix did. Getting him would also be expensive, possibly involving multiple players and the 10th overall pick in next month's draft.

It's a gamble, and not one everybody is convinced Dallas wants to take it.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein (h/t Bleacher Report's Adam Wells), Dallas' interest in Ayton "has been overstated to this point."

While Ayton might not ultimately be the third star the Mavericks chase, the idea of using the 10th pick as trade capital is logical. There are some very talented prospects in this year's class, but the Mavs are extremely unlikely to land an instant-impact player at No. 10.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, for example, has Kansas forward Gradey Dick going to the Mavericks in his latest mock draft.

"While there are questions about his creation upside, there is enough evidence that elite shot-making and off-ball scoring can still translate to quality-starter or star-caliber offense," he wrote of Dick in his pre-combine big board.

If there are questions about Dick's upside, there should also be questions about how quickly, if at all, he could become a high-level scoring contributor. Players in the same draft range would carry similar concerns.

Ayton, on the other hand, has a much more proven floor to go with any untapped potential the Suns have failed to uncover. A prospect like Dick could take two or three years to even sniff the level of aid Ayton could provide immediately.

And the Mavericks should have other veteran options to consider. The Chicago Bulls could be looking to rebuild, given their recent results and the ongoing health questions surrounding Lonzo Ball. Zach LaVine could ultimately become available, while Nikola Vučević may become a sign-and-trade candidate.

The Golden State Warriors could also part with Jordan Poole and/or Jonathan Kuminga this offseason.

"I think it’s more likely than not that at least one of these two very talented players will be traded in July," The Athletic's Tim Kawakami wrote.

None of these players are quite as intriguing as Ayton, but adding a veteran would do more to help the Mavericks to win now than actually using the 10th pick on a developmental prospect.

The other aspect to consider is the new collective bargaining agreement. It includes a new salary apron for tax-paying teams that will limit what those teams can do in free agency and on the trade market.

According to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, the apron will come in at "around $17.5 million" above the tax line and will prevent teams above the apron from using the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign free agents and cannot make trades in which they take back more salary than they give.

If Irving comes back on a max deal, the new CBA could make it extremely difficult for Dallas to put veteran talent around Irving and Dončić—and perhaps impossible to add a third star. The team's active cap was at $171.9 million this past season.

ESPN's Zach Lowe believes the new CBA will lead to a flurry of trade activity this summer and through next season to the trade deadline. He recently said the following on The Lowe Post podcast (h/t RealGM):

"This is all prelude to I think the next year in the NBA could be an unbelievable period of superstar and star player movement because you've just got a lot of sort of roiling situations. You have one year left before the really harsh trade rules kick into place after the 2023-24 season."

The Mavericks need to get in on this period of "star player movement" now—whether they specifically target Ayton or not—because they may not have another chance to build a big three before Dončić has a chance to opt out.

Using the 10th pick in the draft as part of a trade package is the best way to get a deal done.