Dallas Mavericks named as likely suitor for respected big

Boasting an All-Star backcourt with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Dallas Mavericks aren’t short on talent. But they are short in height when it comes to having starting-caliber bigs.

Christian Wood remains a free agent, but there’s been no indication that the Mavericks’ front office wants to retain the 27-year-old power forward. The Mavs also drafted Dereck Lively II with the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but relying on a 19-year-old rookie rarely works for a team with playoff hopes.

One other potential option, according to Marc Stein, could be for the Mavericks to turn back to the trade market. If so, the Atlanta Hawks could be a team to watch, with rumors of a Pascal Siakam trade continuing to linger.

In such a scenario, the Hawks would no longer have a great need for Clint Capela, and neither would the Toronto Raptors, who just re-signed Jakob Poeltl to a four-year extension. But the Mavericks certainly would.

Apparently Dallas also attempted to land Capela during the draft but was turned away by Atlanta’s original asking price, which centered around Josh Green and the No. 10 overall pick.

Even if the 29-year-old Capela may not be an All-Star, the nine-year pro has averaged a double-double for each of the past six seasons while being a steady paint presence in Atlanta. For now, he’s penciled in as the starter, but if the smoke from a Siakam trade turns to fire, we could see Capela ticketed for Dallas.