Dallas Mavericks 2024 trade deadline preview: Primary targets, home run swings and more

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison rubs his hands together before answering questions from reporters at a press conference before the 2023 NBA Draft at the team’s practice facility, Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Dallas.

On Tuesday, the Mavericks’ brain trust gathered to do what peers throughout the NBA do at roughly this time every season.

With the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline in mind, the Mavericks’ leadership gauged the state of the season, assessed the current 18-player roster and discussed Dallas’ biggest needs, short- and longer-term.

While some franchises nearing the trade deadline must determine whether they are sellers, buyers or in stand-pat mode, there’s no doubt under which category the Mavericks fall: They need and want to be buyers if the right trade, or trades, can be found.

That conclusion doesn’t require rocket science. The Mavericks are 24-18 despite having lost 107 player-games to injury, thus far resulting in a mindboggling 23 different starting lineups. That strongly indicates the possibility for marked improvement, if healthy, but also a need for reinforcement.

“I think we have the potential of being a really good team,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Being healthy is going to be key. Shooting the ball is also going to be key.”

Kidd mentioned the emergence of rookie starting center Dereck Lively II and, in the same breath, alluded to Dallas’ most glaring weak spot as it seeks to climb from sixth in the West (entering Saturday night’s games) into the upper tier.

“Again, our health: Without D-Live we get small; with Maxi [Kleber] back, we get a little bit bigger. Once we get whole, we’re going to have to go through it again, understanding our roles and understanding the rotations. And the sooner we can get healthy, the better off we’ll be.”

In case you didn’t get Kidd’s gist, Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban made it clear last week during a 90-minute appearance on The Freak-FM 97.1′s Ben and Skin Show: “If we can get a big who can also create off the dribble, that’d be a plus.”

Cuban further specified: “Six-eight or bigger.”

The Mavericks’ history certainly indicates they’ll make some type of trade before the 2 p.m. Central deadline on February 8. Dallas has made a pre-deadline deal for seven straight years; and eight of the last nine; and nine of last 11.

There have been blockbusters: Acquiring Kyrie Irving last February; getting Kristaps Porzingis in 2019 and trading him in 2022. There have been seemingly significant deals-turned-duds: getting Nerlens Noel in 2017; acquiring Rajon Rondo well before the 2015 deadline (Dec. 2014).

And there have been marginal acquisitions: J.J. Redick in 2021; Willie Cauley-Stein in 2020; Doug McDermott in 2018. Usually, though, Dallas at least does something.

No doubt a factor entering this season’s deadline is the seemingly wide-open nature of the Western Conference race — as opposed to the East, which has three elite teams in Boston, Milwaukee and Philadelphia and intriguing Indiana, fresh off its acquisition of this trade season’s biggest fish, Pascal Siakam.

That deal and New York’s acquisition of another Toronto Raptor, OG Anunoby, might signal a flurry of trades, especially in the West, where memories remain fresh of last year’s Lakers run from 7th-place and the play-in tournament to the conference finals.

Minnesota, Oklahoma City and reigning NBA champion Denver are having strong seasons, but do they appear playoff-beatable? Yes. If there’s a somewhat-scary team in the West, it’s the Clippers.

Which brings us back to the Mavericks, who just two Junes ago, in Kidd’s first season as coach, rumbled from the No. 4 seed to the West finals, toppling top seed Phoenix en route. Then came last season’s tumble to 11th place.

Cuban last week on The Freak declared “once we get healthy, anything can happen with this team,” but he cautioned against the likelihood of the Mavericks acquiring a high-salaried talent, citing how much it would restrict Dallas’ roster-maneuvering if it exceeds the second NBA salary cap tax apron.

With a payroll of $161.8 million, according to Spotrac.com, the Mavericks are just $3.4 million under the luxury tax threshold. Entering luxury tax territory would be fine, especially with the ultra-deep pockets of new majority owners Miriam Adelson and Patrick and Sivan Dumont.

Dallas, though, already has a projected $175 million in salaries and cap allocations for next season, well into luxury-tax territory and about $15 million under the second tax apron. That isn’t much wiggle room, which isn’t surprising with Luka Doncic scheduled to make $43 million next season and Irving $37 million.

Ask the Phoenix Suns how tough it was to build a roster this season around Kevin Durant ($47 million), Bradley Beal ($46 million) and Devin Booker ($36 million).

The Mavericks further are hampered from making a significant deal in that they are extremely limited in draft assets to offer.

Due to the first-round pick they owe the Knicks in 2024 or 2025 for the Porzingis deal and the 2029 first-round pick they owe Brooklyn from the Irving deal, the only first round pick they can offer in a trade is 2027. That’s because NBA rules prohibit trading first-round picks in successive years.

If Dallas swings for the fences before this trade deadline, GM Nico Harrison would need to be awfully certain of the team’s ability to compete, as constructed, for this year’s and next year’s championships.

Numerous media reports are that the Mavericks and shown interest in upgrading not only at power forward/center, but at wing.

What follows are lists of potential trade targets, separated by high-risk, low-attainability; and more attainable/affordable.

Home run swings

Mind you, any deal for one of these players almost certainly would involve trading the young Maverick about whom rival executives reportedly have most asked in preliminary dialogue: Dereck Lively II.

Lively, 19 years old and the No. 12 pick of last June’s draft, almost certainly would be a top-five pick in a do-over draft.

My unsolicited advice to the Mavericks in the unlikely event they would contemplate trading Lively: Absolutely not. Don’t even think about it for a second, definitely don’t utter it out loud. If you do, wash your mouth out with soap, go face a corner and count to a thousand.

Capishe?

Fans are fans, though, and love to dream big, no matter how feasible a deal might be or the consequences of actually pulling it off:

Draymond Green: Remember Cuban’s description on The Freak of the Mavericks’ ideal acquisition? “A big who can also create off the dribble . . 6-8 or bigger.”

Golden State’s Green is 6-6 but we all know he plays more like 6-9. He’s a terrific passer, a four-time NBA champion, an 8-time NBA All-Defense team member and would bring playoff mettle and grit to a Mavericks team that needs all of the above-listed attributes.

He’s also 33, is in the first year of a four-year, $100 million contract and is coming off a 12-game suspension for striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face. He’s a powder keg, the current-day Dennis Rodman, whom Cuban regrettably signed for 12 games in 2000.

Golden State has shown no inclination to break up its championship nucleus, but the Warriors are 18-22, have a $206 million payroll and face an estimated $186 million luxury tax bill.

Miles Bridges: He’s only 25 with elite athleticism. He’s averaged more than 20 points and 7 rebounds in the past two NBA seasons with Charlotte. What’s not to like?

Well, he was suspended by the NBA for the entire 2022-23 season due to a domestic violence incident involving his then-girlfriend and two of their children. He’s paid his penalty in the NBA’s eyes, but given the Mavericks’ 2017-18 investigation that revealed sexual harassment and workplace misconduct on the franchise’s business side, Bridges would be a difficult at-best sell to many Mavericks fans.

Nikola Vucevic: He’s 6-10, a dynamic offensive player and a friend of Luka Doncic and they happen to share the same agent. If the 20-23 Bulls deal Zach LaVine, they might well break up the entire core. Vucevic is 33, but he has only two years remaining on his contract after this one, at a fairly reasonable $20 million and $21.4 million.

High-priced, probably still too steep

Jerami Grant, wing, Portland: In first year of five-year, $160 million deal.

Andrew Wiggins, wing, Golden State: Played the role of MavWrecker in the 2022 Western Conference finals. But he’s in the first year of a four-year, $109 million contract.

Dorian Finney-Smith, wing, Brooklyn: Luka Doncic would cry for joy, and Finney-Smith is making a very reasonable $13 million per season, but the Nets reportedly want two first-round picks for him. Too steep. Unreasonable, actually.

Jarrett Allen/Eric Mobley, center/forward, Cleveland: The Cavs have won six straight games in the absences of Mobley and Darius Garland, perhaps taking the franchise from seller to buyer. But might one of their big men be expendable if Cleveland dips before the trade deadline?

Clint Capela, center, Atlanta: Dallas and Atlanta had trade discussions last summer involving Capela, but that was before the emergence of Lively II as a bona fide starter. It’s certainly feasible that talks could rekindle, but Capela’s $20 million salary this season and next and Atlanta’s likely asking price of Dallas’ 2027 first-round pick and perhaps Jaden Hardy still seems steep.

Bojan Bogdanovic, wing, Detroit: No doubt he would fill multiple needs for Dallas. He’s also a friend of Doncic’s. But at 34 years old and with a $20 million salary that is guaranteed through next season, what price would Dallas have to pay and would it be worth it?

More attainable

AJ Griffin, wing, Atlanta: Only 20 and raw, but athletic. Too raw to be of immediate help to Dallas?

Kelly Olynyk, center, Utah: The Mavericks long have had a man-crush on Olynyk, attempting on multiple occasions to acquire him when he was at Miami, then Houston. At 6-11 and an affordable $12 million salary, he in many respects fits the play-making big that Cuban says Dallas needs.

Jonathan Kuminga, wing, Golden State: He’s averaging 13.6 points and not happy about playing only 23 minutes a game this season, but at 21 and still raw, how much immediate help would he give Dallas, and at what price.

Daniel Gafford, center, Washington: He’s not the playmaking big that Cuban described, but he’s only 25, makes $12.4 million and is averaging 10.4 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Wizards this season.

PJ Washington, forward/center, Charlotte: Averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Hornets, but only shooting 42% from the field, poor for an interior player. But he’s only 25 and is in the first year of a descending 3-year contract.

Jonas Valanciunas, center, New Orleans: The big question here is why would the Pelicans want to help the Mavericks in any way, but along with being a rugged 6-11 presence that the Mavericks lack, he’s developed into a capable 3-point shooter.

Twitter: @townbrad

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