Key Takeaways The Dirk Nowitzki trade to the Mavericks was lopsided.
The Milwaukee Bucks never really had Nowitzki on their radar, despite selecting him 9th overall.
Traylor struggled while Nowitzki became a legend.
There are a few players in NBA history who are synonymous with the franchise that they played for.
Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers is a great example. Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics is another key example. Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks certainly fall into that category as well.
The interesting thing about two of those three franchise icons is that they were not drafted by the team that they became legendary with.
Bryant was famously selected by the Charlotte Hornets before being traded to the Lakers. It was one of the best trades in the history of their franchise.
The Mavericks had similarly great fortunes when they struck a deal that would bring Nowitzki to Dallas. Their trade to secure the rights to the German power forward wound up being one of the most lopsided deals that one will ever come across.
Nowitzki to the Mavericks – Trade Details Mavericks Receive Bucks Receive Dirk Nowitzki Robert Traylor Pat Garrity
The Milwaukee Bucks not only gave up the rights to Nowitzki, but even threw in the rights to Pat Garrity, the 18th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, in the process of acquiring Robert Traylor.
Unfortunately for Traylor and the Bucks, his claim to fame in the NBA’s lore will always be the player who was traded for Nowitzki.
Nowitzki To The Bucks Was Never Really On The Table
The Mavericks knew that they wanted Dirk
In all fairness to Milwaukee, there are certainly accounts of this story confirming that Nowitzki to the Bucks was never really on the table. That could bring some peace of mind to Bucks fans who are likely kept up at night thinking about what could have been.
Back in 2011, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinelpublished a story featuring Larry Harris, the former director of scouting for the Bucks in 1998. He openly spoke about the details of the 1998 NBA Draft .