Marc Stein reported that the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder have discussed swapping pick No. 9 for picks No. 12 and No. 17 ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft – a conversation that frames Dallas as actively working the phones to maximize value from a single mid-lottery asset. This is not a done deal. This is a reported negotiation inside a broader Mavs effort to explore multiple trade-down scenarios before draft night.
What Is Confirmed and What Is Not
Stein wrote that Dallas and Oklahoma City “have discussed a potential swap of No. 9 to the Thunder for the Nos. 12 and 17 picks” – confirmed as a live conversation, not a finalized transaction. Brett Siegel at ClutchPoints had previously reported that a pick-based deal between these two franchises was under consideration in this draft cycle, with Stein‘s note adding the specific pick numbers that Siegel’s earlier reporting lacked.
What is not confirmed: whether either side has made a formal offer or whether the Thunder have identified a specific No. 9 target worth consolidating two picks to chase.
Why Dallas and OKC Keep Finding Each Other
These two front offices have a well-worn draft-night relationship. In 2023, Dallas moved from No. 10 to No. 12 with OKC to offload Davis Bertans‘ contract – and still landed Dereck Lively II, a rotation centerpiece before his rookie season ended. The Thunder took Cason Wallace with that pick and walked away equally satisfied.
In February 2024, the two teams traded again – OKC sent Dallas a 2024 first-rounder in exchange for a 2028 first-round swap right, a pick Dallas then rerouted to Washington in the Daniel Gafford deal. That sequence tightened the Mavs‘ long-range flexibility but reinforced their near-term win-now posture – exactly the context that makes trading down for two cheap rookie contracts more attractive than holding one pick.
The Analytical Case for Both Sides
The 65/35 probability favors this trade happening if OKC locks onto a specific prospect at No. 9 before draft night. The Thunder entered this draft with a well-documented pick surplus and a consolidation-minded front office – packaging Nos. 12 and 17 to move up fits that exact playbook.
For Dallas, two cost-controlled rookies at Nos. 12 and 17 solve a real problem: the Mavs‘ roster is top-heavy around Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, and cheap developmental talent at both ends of the rotation is exactly what the cap structure demands. This is not a Mavericks retreat from contention. This is asset optimization inside a win-now window.
Siegel at ClutchPoints noted that Yaxel Lendeborg, the forward who starred for Dusty May at Michigan, has frequently been projected to the Thunder at No. 12. If OKC believes a prospect with Lendeborg’s ceiling is available at No. 9 and not at No. 12, the motivation to consolidate intensifies sharply.
What Bettors and Fantasy Managers Should Watch
Bettors tracking draft position props should note that a Mavs move down reshuffles landing spots for multiple prospects – anyone mocked at Nos. 9 through 13 gets affected by a single confirmed deal. Fantasy managers in dynasty leagues should flag that two Dallas rookies on minimum-style deals have clearer paths to rotation minutes than a single pick-nine prospect competing for a more crowded role.
The next pressure point is pre-draft medicals and final workout reports. If the Thunder come out of those sessions with a firm conviction on a specific player available at No. 9, expect renewed reporting on whether the Nos. 12 and 17 package formally moves to the table. Draft night in the mid-lottery moves fast – the Stein report suggests both front offices are already doing the math.
