The Dallas Mavericks have so far been extremely satisfied with their ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, as they acquired 19-year old point guard Dennis Smith Jr. in what seems to have been a steal. A spot in the top ten picks seemed more valuable than anticipated this year as there was plentiful talent to choose from. But the Mavericks were looking for that tangential point guard ready to make an immediate impact to the team.

DSJ may have never found himself in the blue and silver if it weren’t for Chicago Bulls GM Gar Forman trading away Jimmy Butler for the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ seventh pick in the draft as well as Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn. We may never know what the Timberwolves would have intended to pick if they retained the seventh pick, but luckily that timeline will not have to be explored, as the Bulls traded up to snag Frank Ntilikina. A credentialed NBA Reporter/Writer covering the Dallas Mavericks went out of his way to thank Gar Forman for setting up the situation just right for the Mavs to link up with DSJ.

Here is the thank you letter in full, fully detailing just how appreciative the Mavericks beat writer truly is:

Gar,

On behalf of the Dallas Mavericks, there are a few things I need to thank you for that led to us getting our hands on Dennis Smith Jr.

Thank you for giving up on your All-Star in Jimmy Butler and trading him to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night. Thank you for taking away that seventh pick from a Minny team that could have went in any direction.

Thank you for believing in Kris Dunn as your future point guard. I’m sure he will be good at some point.Thank you for your love for Lauri Markkanen. Moving into the top seven to grab the player you love was a move you had to make. I’m sure he will turn out to be a great prospect, heck, some people say maybe the next Dirk….

I also wanted to thank you for not selecting Frank Ntilikina out of France. New York had their sights set on their guy and with you taking Markkanen, it allowed their baby to fall into their laps. Thank you for giving Ntilikina to them.

Lastly, thank you for not selecting Dennis Smith Jr.

Moving two spots in front of Dallas to select Lauri Markkanen is something that we will be thankful for over the next decade.

Gar Forman, thank you for allowing Smith Jr. to fall into Dallas’ lap

-Your new fan

The original article can be found here.