NBA Draft 2023: Dallas Mavericks trade for 24th pick and Richaun Holmes

The Dallas Mavericks have traded for Richaun Holmes and the 24th pick in the draft. Holmes has been rumored to the Mavericks at various points over the years but he is simply the price for acquiring this pick. Holmes averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game last season. It is likely that this trade will be folded into the Mavericks previous trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where they traded back to 12th, picking Dereck Lively II and dumping Davis Bertans.

The pick is another story. Olivier-Maxence Prosper is a very intriguing fit with the Mavericks. He is an incredibly hard-nosed defender and can credibly defend virtually every position.

Luka Doncic has often been compared (incorrectly) to James Harden. This is his PJ Tucker. Tucker is a great comparison for Prosper because they both do a fantastic job of utilizing length and grit to make up for pure size on the defensive end. Prosper has a massive 7’1 wingspan which mirrors Tucker’s.

The Mavericks came into this draft with a clear goal of improving their defense and rebounding. While the raw rebounding numbers don’t show it, they have done exactly that. Prosper averaged 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 33.9 percent from the three-point line.

Here’s what one of our draft experts, Ian Miller, had this to say about Propser during the NBA Draft Combine:

Outside the top 20, the two guys who most stood out to me were Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and 7-footer Tristan Vukcevik of the Serbian League team Partizan. Prosper scored 21 points in the first scrimmage game, and performed well in athletic testing/measurements, recording a 7’1 wingpsan and 40+ inch vertical. The 6’8 junior was not a huge part of Marquette’s offense, averaging just 12.5 ppg last season, but the combine is where players like Prosper can...well, um, succeed. Meanwhile, Vukcevik — who also scored 21 points in the opening scrimmage game — showed off a skill level few other big men of the non-Wembanyama category can offer, hitting spot threes, attacking closeouts, and making jumpers off the dribble. Both these players fit archetypes Dallas typically pursues. Should they buy their way back into the draft in the late 1st/early 2nd, I’d keep those names in mind.

It will be important for Prosper to improve his shooting but this is an exciting prospect for the Mavericks. He will be a day one contributor and very well might finish the season starting playoff games.