"I think they gave me a million dollars, too": Don Nelson recalls how signing Dirk Nowitzki came with finessing the Bucks

Don Nelson was the coach of the Dallas Mavericks when they took Dirk Nowitzki, a relative unknown from Germany during the 1998 NBA Draft. Nelson’s decision to go for the German proved to be a franchise-altering move.

In an exclusive interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, “Nellie” narrated how that draft night went:

“We were afraid if we didn’t get ahead of Boston that they were probably going to take him. We get to the draft and both he and Pierce are still available. Dirk [Nowitzki] was my favorite guy in the draft. But there they both were. I’m trying to make my decision. We’re on the clock, and they’re both available. I’m saying to Donnie, “Pierce is a terrific player.’

“Donnie said, ‘Come on Dad; we’ve already been through all of this! Let’s make the choice. We know we’re taking Dirk!’ I said, “My God, you’re right.’ So we took Dirk ahead of Pierce. But Boston got a hell of a player, too. It’s funny the way things work out."

Don Nelson continued:

“The Milwaukee Bucks wanted 'Tractor' Traylor. We had no interest in “Tractor” Traylor. So we swapped picks so they could get 'Tractor' Traylor and then we thought Dirk would be available because we were ahead of Boston. We traded picks and I think they gave me a million dollars, too. We got our guy and it worked out perfectly.”

The Dallas Mavericks owned the sixth pick of the said draft and took bruising big man Robert “Tractor” Traylor” from Michigan. Don Nelson had a different target all along and traded back for more assets, hoping he’d get Dirk Nowitzki with Milwaukee’s pick (ninth).

The Sacramento Kings took Jason Williams from Florida with the seventh pick while the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Larry Hughes eighth.

“Nellie” nailed it and for his effort, he also got Pat Garrity from the Milwaukee Bucks, which helped them get Steve Nash in a separate deal. He was worth more than $1 million that night.

Dirk Nowitzki had a rough start to his NBA career, but he became one of the all-time greats. The Mavericks’ lone franchise championship was due to “The German Jesus.” He will be part of the Basketball Hall of Fame 2023 class that will be inducted on Aug. 12, 2023.

Read the full Don Nelson review by Sportskeeda's Mark Medina

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The Boston Celtics took a page out of Don Nelson’s book in 2017 to draft Jayson Tatum

Don Nelson helped the Boston Celtics to five championships. He’s a big part of Celtic lore. It was all but fitting that Danny Ainge, the team’s former president of basketball operations, took something out of “Nellie’s” playbook.

Boston owned the first pick of the 2017 draft but decided to trade down to No. 3, the Philadelphia 76ers’ slot. Ainge somehow knew the Sixers badly wanted their point guard of the future in the so-called “The Process.”

Fultz, out of Washington, showed immense potential with his size, playmaking and ability to get to the rim. Ainge and the Celtics, however, had their eyes on Duke forward Jayson Tatum. Boston also reportedly sent out rumors they were drafting Josh Jackson with their pick.

The Celtics, as Don Nelson did with Dirk Nowitzki, bamboozled everyone with their move on draft night. Tatum hasn’t delivered a championship yet, but he has been Boston’s best player over the past few years.

If Boston wins banner #18 in the next decade or so, Jayson Tatum is likely in the mix of things.