Las Vegas’ Tyler Bey drafted by 76ers, traded to Mavericks

Las Vegas native Tyler Bey had a message for the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

“They’re getting a player that loves to play basketball and do the dirty work,” the 22-year-old forward said. “That’s how I look at the game. Just play defense.”

Bey on Wednesday was taken in the second round, No. 36 overall, by the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA draft and will play for the Dallas Mavericks, who are reportedly set to acquire his draft rights via trade. He’s the third Las Vegas player in the past four years to be drafted, joining former Bishop Gorman star Zach Collins (2017) and former Centennial standout Troy Brown (2018).

Bey will have the opportunity to play alongside All-NBA guard Luka Doncic and former All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is regarded as one of the league’s best coaches, having led the franchise to an NBA championship in 2011.

“I feel like it’s the perfect spot for me,” said Bey, who watched the draft at his father’s house in Las Vegas with family. “A great organization. A great owner … I think the basketball in Dallas is great. I’m blessed to be in the organization.

“Getting the call, my heart dropped. I was ready to go. Ready to get the day over with.”

Bey attended Las Vegas High, played club basketball for the Las Vegas Knicks and transferred to Middlebrooks Academy in Los Angeles to complete high school and play a post-graduate season. He played the past three seasons at Colorado, evolving from role player to starter to Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2019-20.

He averaged 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.6 blocks and opted to forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the draft.

“The thing I’m most proud of about Tyler is the fact that he improved significantly every year that he was in our program,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle told the Review-Journal this year. “When you see a guy come in that has potential, and three years later you see him realize that potential … he’s still just scratching the surface of the player he’ll eventually be.”

At 6 feet 7 inches, Bey is among the most athletic players in the draft and has the prototypical size and length to become a multi-positional defender at the NBA level. He’s an explosive finisher at the basket and an improving perimeter shooter, registering a 41.9 3-point percentage in 1.4 attempts per game.

He’s also a tenacious rebounder and joins a team that last season finished 18th in defensive efficiency (112.5).

The Mavericks had the league’s best offensive rating (117.5) and qualified for the NBA playoffs, losing in the first round to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Las Vegas Knicks program director Lamar Bigby said Bey is an ideal fit for Dallas’ promising roster.

“Being a second-round pick is going to motivate him and fuel his fire, because I believe deep down that he doesn’t believe there were 35 players better than him,” Bigby said. “He’s so humble. He’ll never say that, but he’s going to work 10 times as hard. This draft, this year, he’s the sleeper of the whole draft.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.