The Dallas Mavericks signed first-round draft pick Dereck Lively II, who made his debut in the NBA Summer League over the weekend.
Lively was the No.12 pick overall from Duke in the 2023 NBA draft.
Dallas picked up the 7-foot-1-inch Lively from Oklahoma City in a trade for No.10 overall pick Cason Wallace and forward Davis Bertans.
“We really love Dereck’s combination of size, shot-blocking ability, and defensive versatility,” General Manager Nico Harrison said in a statement. “As one of the youngest players in the draft, we are looking forward to Dereck growing with the team and fostering his development.”
The team announced his signing on Twitter.
“Thinking about accomplishments, I want to be able to be All-Rookie, all that,” Lively said, according to Sports Illustrated. “I just want to be able to be a dominant force, no matter if that’s on the defensive end or offensive end.”
Lively played 16 minutes on Saturday against the Thunder’s Summer League team. He scored four points and had five rebounds.
The 19-year-old Wallace, playing for the Thunder, scored 20 points as Oklahoma City prevailed, 91-80.
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MAVERICKS NOTES
— Guard Jaden Hardy, a second-round Dallas draft pick in 2022, had 24 points on 8-of-18 shooting and six rebounds against the Thunder. The Mavericks’ other first-round draft pick this year, Olivier-Maxence Prosper from Marquette, scored seven points.
— The team is expected to trade guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and either trade or release center JaVale McGee, NBA insider Marc Stein reported.
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NBA NOTES
— San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich, 75, has agreed to a five-year contract extension, the team reported. He will remain as coach and director of basketball operations.
— Victor Wembanyama improved statistically in his second Summer League game. The 7-foot-3-inch, No.1 overall draft pick by the Spurs had 27 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks on 9-of-14 shooting in Sunday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. He scored only nine points in his debut Friday night.
— All-Star guard Chris Paul told ESPN he is not worried about his role with the Golden State Warriors this season.
“At the end of the day, it’s basketball,” said Paul, who will join the Warriors for his 18th season after playing the last three years for the Phoenix Suns. “I’m going into a situation with a bunch of guys who’ve been playing together for a long time. I’m not as worried about it as everybody else is. … We’ll figure all of that stuff out at camp.”
— The Milwaukee Bucks have re-signed veteran forward Jae Crowder.
