Jared Cunningham drafted 24th overall

By Associated Press Published: Jun 28, 2012 at 8:08 PM PDT
Jared Cunningham drafted 24th overall
Oregon State guard Jared Cunningham (1) pulls down a rebound in front of Texas forward Alexis Wangmene (20), forward Clint Chapman (53) and Oregon State center Angus Brandt, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Legends Classic on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, in East Rutherford, N.J. Cunninghan led all scorers with 37 points as Oregon State defeated Texas 100-95 in overtime. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks turned their first-round pick in the NBA draft Thursday night into three selections.

After using the 17th overall pick to get 7-foot North Carolina center Tyler Zeller, the Mavericks traded his rights to Cleveland for three selections.

While the deal still had to be approved by the NBA, the Cavaliers took Oregon State guard Jared Cunningham with the 24th overall pick, presumably for the Mavericks.

Cleveland also had the Nos. 33 and 34 picks in the second round that were part of the deal during Thursday night's draft. Dallas also had the 55th overall pick, the second-round pick they got from the Los Angeles Lakers along with Lamar Odom before last season.

Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson had talked about getting an impact player with the No. 17 overall pick, their highest pick since 2000.

Cunningham, an early NBA draft entry, led the Pac-12 in steals in his junior and sophomore seasons. As a junior for the Beavers last season, he averaged 17.9 points, which was second in the Pac-12.

Cunningham also had 91 steals, matching Gary Payton's mark as a junior, and averaged 3.8 rebounds.

The Mavericks had the oldest team in the NBA last season, when they were swept in the first round of the playoffs by Oklahoma City a year after winning the NBA championship. They could undergo significant roster changes around perennial All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki.

Guards Jason Kidd and Jason Terry are among six Dallas players who will become unrestricted free agents Sunday.

A person with knowledge of the deal said Thursday night that an agreement was in place for Odom to head back to Los Angeles for a second stint with the Clippers and Mo Williams will be reunited with Utah.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the three-team deal between Dallas Mavericks, Clippers and Jazz was contingent on Williams exercising his $8.5 million player option for next season.

Odom is due $8.2 million next season, and Dallas faced a Friday deadline to a $2.4 million buyout of that contract. The expected deal would instead mean an $8.2 million trade exception for the Mavericks, similar to what they used to get Odom.