Mavericks Rumors: DAL 'Most Interested' in Trading No. 10 Pick for Ready-Now Veteran

If the Dallas Mavericks re-sign Kyrie Irving and pair him with Luka Dončić again, the team will be saddled with high expectations.

It will make sense, then, if the Mavs trade the No. 10 pick in Thursday's NBA draft for a veteran who could help them make a postseason push in 2023-24—and Tim Cato of The Athletic reported Dallas is "most interested" in doing just that.

The uncertainty about what the team will do with the pick makes it difficult to project any particular selection, but Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman sent Metropolitans 92's Bilal Coulibaly to Dallas in his most recent mock draft.

However, Wasserman also noted there is an expectation the pick will be moved.

It would follow that the Mavericks will look to make moves that will maximize their chances to immediately compete since Dončić is under contract for three more seasons before a 2026-27 player option.

The team could use veteran depth after moving Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie in last season's trade to acquire Irving.

Things went anything as planned following that move, as the Mavericks went 8-12 with Irving on the floor and tumbled all the way to the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference standings. That meant no playoffs or even play-in tournament for a team that was in the Western Conference Finals the previous season.

Such a collapse only elevates the pressure to put a winning team on the floor around Dončić this offseason.

While that may start with re-signing Irving, the Mavericks will need other players around the backcourt duo to both pick up the defensive slack and take advantage of the spacing they create on the offensive end.

Perhaps they can get such a player by moving the No. 10 pick.