Draft Day Open Thread: Mavericks, OKC Swap Lottery Picks in Davis Bertans Deal

2023 NBA Draft Day is here! The Portland Trail Blazers hold the third pick overall. Debate continues to swirl about whether they’ll receive point guard Scoot Henderson, multi-talented forward Brandon Miller, or go off the path with forward Amen Thompson. They might be influenced by trade offers for the pick. At this point we don’t even know if they’ll be selecting for themselves or a potential partner. Plus Portland has the 23rd and 43rd picks to think about. Do they offer one of them to Chicago to pay off the debt for the Larry Nance, Jr. trade a couple years ago? Will a promising longshot rookie or two fall into their clutches?

And hey, the Blazers aren’t the only team in the NBA. Last night the Nuggets and Pacers swapped some picks, while the Celtics, Grizzlies, and Wizards engineered a trade centering around Kristaps Porzingis and Marcus Smart.

Consider this your omnibus open thread leading up to the draft. We’ll put league news and rumors here that don’t require a separate post. You can also debate all your random Blazers-oriented thoughts here. Look for major Portland-centric news and rumors to appear in their own posts throughout the day. We’ll open up a thread dedicated to the draft itself around 4:00 PM, Pacific. The draft begins at 5:00 PM.

Enjoy the day and all that comes with it!

Mavericks Send Davis Bertans to OKC

The Dallas Mavericks are selecting Kentucky guard Cason Wallace with the No. 10 pick, but trading him and wing Davis Bertans to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 12 pick and a $17 million Traded Player Exception, per Shams Charania.

Charania said Dallas is active on the trade market to use its new TPE to acquire a player and a current or future pick.

Pacers, Wizards Swap Top 10 picks

The Indiana Pacers selected French prospect Bilal Coulibaly with the No. 7 pick in the draft, but are trading him to the Washington Wizards for the No. 8 pick and future second-round picks, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Chris Paul, Jordan Poole Trade

We have our first major trade of the day, as the Washington Wizards are preparing to send Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for point guard Jordan Poole, per Shams Charania. The Warriors will also send a protected 2030 first-round pick and a second-rounder in 2027.

The earlier-announced deal involving Paul and Bradley Beal will see the Wizards receive six second-round draft picks and four first-round pick swaps from the Phoenix Suns, per Adrian Wojnarowski.

Lakers Move Up

The Los Angeles Lakers are moving up seven spots in the second round, trading the 47th pick and cash to the Indiana Pacers for the 40th pick, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.