The Dallas Mavericks is a team in flux, and they’re entering a critical moment in planning their future. Dec. 15 is the unofficial kick-off to trade season on the NBA calendar, where nearly 90-percent
of the league’s players become trade eligible after signing contracts in the offseason. With the ability for team’s to now cast their widest net, all the conjecture turns to realistic conversations, where contenders start positioning themselves for finishing moves, stars start throwing their weight around, and teams looking to hit a reset button start offering their roster upgrade services.
Fewer teams have a murkier strategy at this point than the Dallas Mavericks. The team, not just former general manager Nico Harrison, sold the fanbase a contender campaign last spring and through the offseason. But the product on the floor told the truth. And while the team has begun to find their footing over the last several weeks, it is obvious the future roster moves should primarily be in service of building around rookie Cooper Flagg.
Reports around the league have shown both sides of the coin for Dallas. The cleanest strategy would be to move off the veterans of the roster, repair the stock of assets in the process, and move past the most tumultuous year in the team’s history. But questions linger about whether the team is ready to do that, or might they want to see how this roster plays the year out and wait until the offseason to make final decisions.
In the meantime, with league chatter getting louder, it’s worth assessing the roster itself. Which players factor into that future, which players should absolutely be moved, and which players are worth debating over. This isn’t purely trade value, but value to the new machinery of this team in the Flagg era. Let’s tier this out.
The Untouchable
Cooper Flagg
No debates. Flagg has been everything advertised. His high motor, defensive instincts, and relentless pursuit of the basket have been on display. And after what was a slow start to the season, where he was forced into an unfamiliar role, the picture of where this team goes becomes clearer.
He is the only untouchable player on this roster, where phone numbers even trying should be blocked.
Hold On
Kyrie Irving, Max Christie, Ryan Nembhard
It isn’t a secret that the team began righting the ship once the rookie Nembhard played a prominent role. It’s not just his ball-handling, though that ability made the deficit elsewhere obvious. It’s also not his no-fear scoring ability, considering his size. It’s the efficiency with each possession. Nembhard has a 3.6 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio (totals of 62 assists and 17 turnovers in 13 games) that has kept each possession safe when he’s managing the offense.
Christie’s growth as a shooter this season is of note — 46.5 percent from three on the season, on a team with zero consistent shooters outside of Klay Thompson. His on-ball defense is an even greater bonus. If Nembhard continues to have a role, this season or in the future, having someone next to him like Christie will be key. The Mavericks at least having young pieces to play around with right now in Flagg, Christie, and Nembhard are the exact moves you want in a rebuild. Let the course of the season develop to measure future impact from this backcourt.
Fans are dying to see this team playing with Irving, whose return remains unclear. Unless Irving wants out, which there have been indications, the Mavericks need to keep his leadership around. Shepherding these other two plus Flagg. Watch a healthy Kyrie playing off Flagg will be a sight to behold. Until that happens we’re holding tight.
Let’s Talk
PJ Washington, Brandon Williams, Moussa Cisse, Dwight Powell
Of this group Washington is the only one that possesses true trade value. I’m pro-Washington and will defend him until my dying day. But if someone is just dying to have him and would give the Mavericks future value I’m at least staying on the line.
The others are fringe players at best. But Williams and Cisse are the kind of players you could tack onto a larger deal, who show enough flashes of potential to make a trade palatable for the other side.
Powell is never leaving and that is A-OK with me. But, like, what if Rick Carlisle is just itching to have his ride-or-die back and the Mavericks could trick them into a move? Let’s talk.
Trade When Ready
Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall, D’Angelo Russell
One has to assume at least three of these players will not be Mavericks by spring. They are all valuable to a competitive Mavericks team this season. But they are also all veterans who either A) want to play for real playoff contenders, or B) could garner enough value back as the Mavericks change eras that you absolutely have to make the move. Short term competitiveness this season is not the name of the game. The Mavericks staying competitive while building the future is a bonus.
Of this group I’d prioritize moving Thompson, Davis, and Russell first. Klay has been a trooper after arriving in Dallas with much different intentions. His season has started taking shape, and his shooting has proved vital in this recent win streak. But one has to assume he’d like to play for a contender while he has the juice. The Mavericks should honor that and hopefully gain something in return.
Davis is the big question. I wouldn’t be shocked if the interim front office opted to let the season play out and wait to deal Davis in the summer. But the variable is the longer he plays in a season the more likely it becomes he suffers another injury. Will the Mavericks make that gamble? And while recent reports have suggested the Mavericks have considered an extension for the big man, I refuse to believe that and would not suggest it.
Gafford and Marshall are solid players who would help just about every team that’s currently in the top-six looking to make a push for a conference finals run, and while their contracts and status wouldn’t hurt the Mavericks rebuild around Flagg going forward, it would be hard to turn down quality draft capital if teams called.
Whoever Asks First Gets Them
Jaden Hardy, Caleb Martin
Quite frankly I can’t believe we have to have conversations in this tier. Hardy just never found a role beyond catch-and-shoot threat, or racking up stats in garbage time. Other players that pass through consistently outplay him and contribute in more ways.
If it wasn’t for the Luka trade the Quentin Grimes-Caleb Martin deal would have gone down as the worst deadline move this calendar year. Find new destinations for this duo, but don’t expect anything in return. In fact, the Mavericks would likely have to add some draft sweetener to move these contracts.
RIP
Dereck Lively II, Dante Exum
Boy oh boy. It feels like just months ago both Lively and Exum were key contributors on a team that eventually was in the Finals. Now both have had several surgeries and procedures as the injuries rack up. Exum doesn’t provide trade value and depending on what else happens by January, could possibly be stretched to sign Nembhard to a full deal.
Lively is a conundrum. The Mavericks still have him on reasonable salary, and long term he still can be a starting level center. Given his recent injury bug he’d provide no true value on the trade market, and the Mavericks shouldn’t look to move him. But it’s unclear if he can really be part of future core plans the way we all dreamed just a few seasons ago. Hopefully this long-term rehab the rest of this season brings a rejuvenated Lively to a retooled Mavericks team.
