DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks used the No. 17th pick of the first round tonight to draft North Carolina center Tyler Zeller.
But Zeller didn't wear a Mavs uniform very long because Dallas traded his draft rights to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 24th, 33rd and 34th picks in tonight's draft.
Zeller averaged 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in 23.1 minutes per game during his four-year career with the Tar Heels. He also shot 54.2 percent from the field during his career.
During the past season, the 7-foot, 247-pound Zeller averaged 16.3 points and 9.6 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game.
The Mavs figured parlaying Zeller into three picks was more advantageous than keeping a player -- like Zeller -- who likely will be a career backup center in the NBA.
With the three picks, the Mavs may be positioning themselves to make a trade for Orlando center Dwight Howard. They also saved about $2 million in guaranteed money.
-- Dwain Price
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@dwainprice
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