A day after he turned 20 years old, Melvin Ajinca celebrated by becoming the newest member of the Dallas Mavericks.
A product of Saint-Quentin in France’s top league, Ajinca was chosen Thursday by the New York Knicks on the second round of the NBA Draft with the 51st overall pick. The Mavs then acquired his draft rights from the Knicks in exchange for Ariel Hukporti, the rights to Petteri Koponen and cash considerations.
The Mavs drafted Koponen with the 30th overall pick of the 2007 draft, and they selected Hukporti with the 58th and very last pick of Thursday’s draft.