The Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired draft rights to guard Cason Wallace (10th overall) and forward Dāvis Bertāns in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks for draft rights to Dereck Lively II (12th overall), announced today by the vice president. Executive and Managing Director Sam Presti.
Wallace (6-4, 193) was selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team this past season after averaging 11.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 32 games at the University of Kentucky. His 63 steals last season are the third-most by a freshman in Kentucky history.
Bertans (6-10, 225) appeared in 432 NBA games (40 starts) and averaged 7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 18.2 minutes per game for the San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, and Mavericks.
Lively (7-1, 234) was an early draft candidate for this year’s draft after spending one season at Duke. In his only season with the Blue Devils, he averaged 5.2 points (. 658 FG%), 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game across 34 games. Lively was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team and the ACC All-Defensive Team.
“We really like Derrick’s combination of size, shot-blocking ability, and defensive versatility,” said Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison. “As one of the youngest players in the draft, we look forward to Derrick growing with the team and furthering his development.”
In his only year at Duke, Lively blocked 82 shots—just five shy of the NCAA lead. With the Wings 7-4, he led all Division I freshmen in blocks and ranked second in the ACC (eighth nationally).
The Philadelphia native was ranked as the No. 1 player overall in the ESPN 100 for the Class of 2022 as a five-star center out of Westtown School in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He was named Penn Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 after leading Westtown to a 31-7 record and the Penn State Independent Schools Athletic Championship in 2022.