"At the risk of raining on the Mavs Draft Parade," the enviably well-connected Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com reports that the Mavericks may see Dominique Jones, whose draft rights they acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies for $3 million, as a trade asset, and not a long-term building block. Fisher explains:
[Rodrigue Beaubois] and Jones as a regular-season tandem in some future season is potentially tantalizing, too; Roddy B is 22 and Dominique is 21 and they are dynamic players and that’s what you call “future.’’
However, I would caution you to not read too much into any of that.
He continues by saying Jones and Beaubois will be part of Dallas' "[trade] pitches to teams," and concludes in this way:
We're excited about that backcourt," Donnie [Nelson] says, and he’s telling the truth. But some other teams might be excited about that backcourt, too.
The Mavs love the potential of Beaubois and Jones. They love what they might become.
And it is within the realm of possibility that “what they might become’’ is ex-Mavs.
Don't read the fact that Jones slipped to the 25th pick as an indictment of his skills. Fisher adds that had to outbid "other contenders" in order to get the pick from Memphis, so clearly Jones was a sought-after commodity on draft night. If Fisher's right, Dallas is banking on that interest not waning anytime soon.