The Dallas Mavericks were one of, if not the, busiest team during the 2018 NBA Draft. First they agreed on a trade that allowed them to select Slovenian sensation, Luke Doncic, with the third overall pick. Next they selected the 2017-18 Naismith Player of the year, Jalen Brunson, at the top of the second round. Then to conclude the draft, the Mavericks acquired the draft rights to forward Ray Spalding and Dayton combo-forward Kostas Antetokoumpo (the brother of the Greek Freak) from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Heading into the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League, Ray Spalding was going to have to prove that he was worthy of a roster spot, especially after the Mavericks flurry of offseason moves that including signing DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers, and re-upping reserve big man, Salah Mejri.