Best Draft Pick In Dallas Mavericks History

Ironically, two players who have had a significant impact on the Dallas Mavericks franchise since their rookie season weren’t originally drafted by the team, yet the Mavs had a chance to select both.  In 1998, Dallas selected Robert "Tractor" Traylor sixth overall and immediately traded him to Milwaukee for a relatively unknown German teenager named Dirk Nowitzki and Pat Garrity. Twenty years later, the Mavericks drafted Trae Young fifth overall and traded him to Atlanta for Luka Doncic, who had been selected third by the Hawks moments earlier. Two draft night trades, two franchise-altering European stars, neither of which were technically Mavericks draft picks. 

So the title of greatest draft pick in Dallas history belongs to Jason Kidd. Selected second overall in the 1994 NBA Draft out of the University of California, Kidd arrived in Dallas as the team’s point guard of the future, helping to rebuild a struggling franchise that had finished an embarrassing 13-69 the year before, the worst record in the league.

Kidd grew up in Oakland, California, and prior to accepting a scholarship to play for the Golden Bears had earned a pair of California Player of the Year honors and two straight state championships. With a resume made for top-tier Division I schools, Kidd decided to stay home.

As the National Freshman of the Year, Kidd helped the Golden Bears upset Duke in the NCAA Tournament and then guided California back to the dance in his sophomore season. As a sophomore, he led the nation in assists, was named Pac-10 Player of the Year, and earned First Team All-American honours, the first Cal player to do so since 1968. There was no surprise that Kidd announced he would enter the 1994 NBA Draft. 

In his first season with Dallas, Kidd averaged 11.7 points, 7.7 assists, and 5.4 rebounds, sharing the Rookie of the Year award with Detroit Pistons forward Grant Hill. Teaming with Jamal Mashburn and Jimmy Jackson, known as the “Three J’s”, Kidd helped the Mavericks improve by 23 wins. A triple-double threat as a point guard, Kidd was must-see TV, especially for a franchise that had a losing record for the four previous seasons. 

Despite the promise of the Three J’s, chemistry issues and front office dysfunction kept the team from taking the next step. Although there was internal conflict, Kidd did earn himself a spot in the All-Star Game during his second season. Midway through his third year, a falling out with the coaching staff saw him traded to Phoenix, returning Michael Finley and Sam Cassell. 

Over the next decade, Kidd would go on to become one of the greatest point guards the game has ever seen. After back-to-back NBA Finals runs during his time with the New Jersey Nets, Kidd returned to Dallas in an eight-player deal. At the age of 34, Kidd was no longer the triple-double threat, but he was the steady veteran point guard that the team needed alongside Nowitzki. Three years later, Kidd added the one award that had evaded him throughout his professional career, an NBA title. 

Given the success of Nowitzki and Doncic since their rookie seasons, many look past the fact that Kidd is arguably the greatest draft pick in Mavericks history.