DALLAS, TEXAS — The Dallas Mavericks have announced that they acquired the draft rights to the 51st overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Melvin Ajinça, from New York. This was in exchange for the draft rights to Ariel Hukporti (58th overall selection in 2024), the rights to Petteri Koponen (30th overall pick in 2007), and cash considerations.
Ajinça, who is 6-8 and weighs 218 pounds, spent the 2023-24 season with Saint-Quentin in France’s top league (LNB Pro A), where he averaged 9.5 points (.481 FG%, .815 FT%) and 3.6 rebounds in 30 games. In the 2022-23 season, he was named the French LNB Pro B Best Young Player after averaging 8.5 points (.529 FG%, .394 3FG%, .848 FT%) and 2.0 rebounds in 33 games.
The 6-8 forward began his career with Paris’ Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball in the Nationale Masculine 1 league during the 2019-20 season.
