Will they love it or list it?
Homeowners find themselves at a crossroads in the hit HGTV series Love It or List It. After living in their home for years, they’ve reached an impasse and must weigh the viability of staying in their current home or finding a new one that better suits their needs. Designer Hilary Farr and realtor David Visentin help sway the homeowners one way or the other in a friendly competition.
Farr takes stock of the current home and remodels it to improve its functionality, while Visentin shows them available properties that meet their requirements and budget. At the end of each episode, the homeowners must decide if they want to keep the home they have or place it on the market and move elsewhere. It’s a decision reminiscent of one currently facing the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas holds the No. 10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft on June 22. It’s a crucial selection for the organization and one it fought (read: tanked) to secure. After a disastrous season that saw the Mavericks fall well short of expectations and miss the postseason altogether, the pick is an asset that can help the team grow and improve its cohesion internally through the draft, or Dallas can trade it in favor of finding proven talent somewhere else.
As with everything in life, there is risk involved in the Mavericks’ choices. If the Mavericks keep the pick, they’ll be making a selection in a draft that some analysts consider one of the strongest in recent memory. Although an untested rookie straight out of college or elsewhere isn’t guaranteed impactful minutes, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd had the patience to let Jaden Hardy grow and develop in his first year.
The Mavericks surprised plenty when it traded into last year’s draft to pick Jaden Hardy in the second round. It took Hardy some time to adjust to the NBA, but he was one of the team’s bright spots during the season’s second half. Kidd’s willingness to let young players like Hardy and Josh Green figure it out on the floor bodes well for any player Dallas drafts. Considering their draft position, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Dallas lands a higher caliber prospect than Hardy, provided the front office does its homework.
Should the Mavericks decide to trade the pick, there are several paths the team can chart. Dallas can include it in a package with one-or-more players and ship them off to another team to overhaul the roster and add players that will return the team to playoff contention. The Mavericks haven’t been bashful about making brash trades in recent years — Kristaps Porzingis (twice) and Kyrie Irving — that have had mixed results. If the team feels like its window to win with 24-year-old superstar Luka Doncic is closing, it could see a swing-for-the-fences deal that includes the pick as its only recourse.
Rather than move the pick in a package for players, Dallas could use it to trade back in the draft to acquire multiple picks later in the first-round or second-round and infuse the roster with more young talent. General manager Nico Harrison proved last year that he’s capable of landing high-end talent later in the draft, and he may look to double down this year. If that happens, hopefully, the team will see a better outcome than when it traded back for Shane Larkin in 2013.
The Mavericks don’t have an easy decision ahead of them. Keeping the pick or trading it can dramatically change the roster. Like the homeowners in Love It or List It, Dallas’ front office must weigh all its options — and consider the risks — to do what is right for the organization. The Mavericks don’t have Farr and Visentin working to influence their decision, but Dallas still has to choose whether to love the pick or list it.
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