The Dallas Mavericks were a competitive team in the NBA in the 1980s after joining the NBA early into the decade. Unfortunately, they could never get past the Western Conference Finals during the decade, which led to a massive Playoff drought in the ‘90s.
The team needed a change, so head coach and general manager Don Nelson sought a new direction. As his father’s assistant coach, Donnie Nelson contributed to the team by helping the coach, but he was also a scout. One of the players the younger Nelson scouted was Dirk Nowitzki, who the Mavs traded for in the 1998 Draft over Paul Pierce .
“The safe money would have been on Paul, he steps right in. The smart money is on Dirk because he is 7 feet and Paul is 6-foot-6,” Donnie said to HoopsHype in 2011. “They are both great players, but it is so incredibly hard to get size and skill in this league. People kill for it. They both are 1 and 1A in that draft. Believe me when I say we were just happy to survive with Dirk.”
The Mavericks’ decision was correct
While picking Pierce would have been a good decision, it could not be the high-ceiling pick like Nowitzki . Like Donnie said, Pierce was a known commodity because of what he did at Kansas during his college career. Everyone knew Paul would become a star in the NBA because he had all the traits to become a star.
However, the Mavericks' trade for the German native was a high-risk, high-reward move. It paid off well for them, as they picked up one of the best power forwards in the game. He became a decorated player, winning the regular-season MVP in 2007 and earning its NBA Finals equivalent four years later when he led the organization to its first-ever championship .
Related: Scottie Pippen on how Michael Jordan would have reacted if he left the Bulls: "He would have probably tried to shoot more and score more"
Both players were successful in their own right
While Dirk is widely regarded as having had the better career, Pierce's achievements should not be overlooked. He was a standout superstar for the Celtics for many years, although a championship eluded him for a long time. Fortunately, the Celtics eventually assembled a strong supporting cast, enabling him to win a title and earn Finals MVP honors.
The Truth became a multi-time All-Star and All-NBA player, much like Dirk. However, Nowitzki enjoyed a more successful career, winning a regular season MVP and remaining a solid contributor until retirement. In contrast, Pierce struggled in his final years, while the German forward continued to excel and eventually passed the torch to Luka Doncic in his final season.
Related: "I thought we were going to finish together like Stockton and Malone" - When Dirk thought he and Steve Nash would win a championship together
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