The Dallas Mavericks are amongst the top teams in the Western Conference. With that being said, something is clearly missing to vault them into contention status. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis recently had their best games of the season versus the San Antonio Spurs, but these aren’t as commonplace as they should be. The duo was widely expected to dominate the league for years, and although Doncic is doing his part, Porzingis isn’t always showing up. That’s not the only issue, however, as Dallas can improve in other aspects such as three-point shooting and defense.
The season is way too young for the Mavericks to pull the trigger on a trade. With that being said, here are some ideas that they may consider down the line if they continue to tread the line of being very good but not necessarily a contender.
Dallas Mavericks Trade Ideas
Rick Carlisle gets involved with the Dallas Mavericks again
The trade: The Indiana Pacers send Myles Turner to the Mavericks for Dwight Powell, Josh Green, and a future first-round pick.
Turner is an ideal fit for Dallas. Besides the fact that he’s from the Dallas area, Turner fixes a lot of the Mavericks’ issues. First of all, he’s a great rim protector. Turner consistently leads the league in blocks, and Dallas needs a presence like that. Porzingis is no longer the rim protector he once was, and Turner solves this issue. Turner is also a decent option on offense, and he can thrive with Doncic. He also doesn’t fit with Indiana due to Domantas Sabonis.
Carlisle was always a major fan of Powell while he coached Dallas. Powell plays hard and hustles like no other, which is something Carlisle appreciates. He can play plenty of center for Indiana and allow for more growth from Goga Bitadze and Isaiah Jackson.
Green is also a first-round pick who was selected during Carlisle’s time in Dallas. He’s an exciting and uber-athletic young guard, but time for him to grow has been hard to come by in Dallas. Carlisle can take him back and potentially develop him into a high-flying defensive player. Lastly, a first-round pick is always a bonus.
Slovenia Ties in Dallas
The trade: the Toronto Raptors send Goran Dragic to the Mavericks for Willie Cauley-Stein and the Josh Richardson trade exception.
A trade like this makes too much sense.
First of all, Dallas was rumored to have a heavy interest in Dragic. That never materialized, as he was sent to Toronto from Miami as part of the Kyle Lowry deal. Now he’s glued onto the bench and receiving constant DNP-CDs.
Dallas can use another ball-handler off the bench, and Dragic is perfect. Not only is Dragic a talented veteran, but he’s also Slovenian. He has strong ties to Doncic, and can potentially serve as a mentor and a friend. This can only help Dallas.
Toronto, on the other hand, is thin at the center position. Dallas is most certainly not and can send over Cauley-Stein. Cauley-Stein is by no means elite, but he’s a very solid option to have and it wouldn’t hurt Toronto to add depth in the position.
A Cauley-Stein departure can also open more minutes for Moses Brown in Dallas.
More Shooting Arrives in Dallas
The trade: The Sacramento Kings send Buddy Hield to the Mavericks for Powell, Reggie Bullock, and a future first-round pick.
Hield would thrive in Dallas. The open looks he’d receive on a Doncic-led offense would be endless, and he’s one of the deadliest snipers in the entire game. Sure, he has a hefty contract, but the Mavericks are ready to compete due solely to Doncic’s brilliance.
Sacramento considers this to rid themselves of Hield’s contract. He’s by no means a deterrence to the team, but they have plenty of young guards who need more playing time. Powell will add frontcourt depth, and eventually replace Tristan Thompson as the main Richaun Holmes back-up. Bullock can replace Hield playing the two and three, but he won’t eat up as many minutes. In addition, he’s a tenacious defender who may serve as a good mentor to Davion Mitchell.
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