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Tyler Zeller the Final UNC Player Drafted, Taken by Dallas at 17 and Traded to Cleveland

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Mar 22, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Tyler Zeller (44) shoots during practice the day before the semifinals of the midwest region of the 2012 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PREWIRE

Tyler Zeller remaining on the board this long is surprising, indeed. A big man with his type of speed you'd think would be a hot commodity in the pros. Tonight, however, he was overlooked quite a bit, and wasn't taken until the 17th pick when the Dallas Mavericks took him off the board.

In Dallas, Zeller will have a lot of UNC friends, with both Brendan Haywood and Brandan Wright on the roster. Of course, there's also Dirk Nowitzki and Lamar Odom to contend with. The Mavericks are pretty stacked with big men, and Zeller will have to claw his way into the lineup. Zeller can run the floor like few big men, however, and I think he'll definitely carve a space out for himself on this team.

And of course, he could also be traded. The Mavericks have a lot of free agents they're trying to sign, so this might not be Zeller's eventual destination. The current Twitter rumors have him going to Cleveland, in fact, where he could help make up for the Dion Waiters pick at number four.

UPDATE: It appears to be official. Tyler Zeller has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, for the 24th, 33rd, and 34th picks. That's a lot of picks. The Cavs don't have much in the way of big men; they do have Duke alum Kyrie Irving at point guard, as well as having released the now-successful Danny Green. Good luck to you, Tyler.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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