The Best Trade in the History of Your Dallas Mavericks

By Richie Whitt Thu., Feb. 24 2011 at 11:00 AM

Categories: Dallas Mavericks

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Yep, pretty much the easiest list I've ever put together.

On June 24, 1998 the Dallas Mavericks drafted robust, rotund -- let's face it, fat -- Michigan forward Robert "Tractor" Traylor with the No. 6 pick in the draft. Three picks later the Milwaukee Bucks drafted a German teen named Dirk Nowitzki, then immediately traded him and Pat Garrity to Dallas.

End result: Dallas acquired a first-ballot Hall of Famer and the best player in its franchise history in exchange for ...

a guy who in 2010 was named the Defensive Player of the Year -- in Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional.

Traylor scored 2,000 points in the NBA; Dirk is steaming toward 23,000.

There is no No. 2 on the list. Thank you, Don Nelson.

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basketball, Dirk Nowitzki, Don Nelson

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somebody should start a blog post called whitts whiffs
My question was best REGULAR season trade. JET was acquired from Atlanta during the offseason when Nash left, but I forgot how Stack got here.
Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse are up there too.
that would take research. RW's been really busy I'm guessing the last two days.
Two rather weak posts today and no third. I'm expecting the Best. Whitt's. End. Ever. tomorrow. If not I go back to bitching and moaning about the craptacular content.
Although Dirk was acquired by trade, I have never considered him that way. What about best reg. season trade acquistion? My vote goes for Nick Van Excel... Caron last year...
Um, that's it? Also, your "What has nine arms and sucks" joke the other day had us boys laughing.
When that anniversary date rolls around again you can count on a post about it.
Isn't this old news? I guess next we're going to talk about the way Jimmy snookered MN?
I thought Richie was thanking the GM Don Nelson (Donnie) not his dad as coach, but I could be wrong. Either way I am not a hater of either one of them at all and I love the Mavs...I just think they have had a lot more misses than they have had hits. They have never been able to put together a championship winning team, and that's what matters (for me atleast).
Have morbidly obese players disappeared from the NBA? Remember towards the ends of their careers when Sam Perkins, Vin Baker, and Shawn Kemp, and Antoine Walker plodded around the court? They would all be listed between 260 and 280 but were probably closer to 300 or 320. Then there were guys like Tractor Traylor and Oliver Miller that were always fatties.
Acquiring two bona fide Hall of Fame players in the same day is a bit more than luck. Give Nellie some credit, he does have the most wins of any coach in NBA history and this team wouldn't have its greatest franchise player without him.
I'll be a sports idiot: Just why exactly did it go down this way? Why didn't they just draft Dirk at 6? I suppose the Bucks feared that Traylor wouldn't be there for them and told Dallas, "Hey, draft him for us and we'll give you Dirk and Garrity in exchange." But wasn't that risky?
Yes, It is possible for a blind squirrel to find 2 nuts the same day. Ever heard of having a lucky day? How many Finals did we make with Steve Nash here? Yeah, try none.
And what about Nellie trading for Steve Nash the same day? Two nuts the same day? Cuban has spent the money to keep the franchise competitive, but Nellie and Nellie Jr. are owed a lot of credit too and started the winning foundation with Dirk. And yeah, I agree with TheRealDirtyP1. This always felt more like a pre-meditated move, especially with Nellie and Donnie's interest in tall international players.
Hmmm. So they passed up on Dirk and then traded for him, when they probably already had that worked out. I count this more like a draft pick.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.