Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has brought in multiple veterans this summer to help build a better supporting cast behind stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Most recently, that included acquiring wing Grant Williams in a sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics.
Even after bringing in William, re-signing Irving and acquiring big man Richaun Holmes, the Mavericks are nowhere near done. They attempted to lure two-time All-Defensive Team performer and restricted free agent Matisse Thybulle from the Portland Trail Blazers before Dallas’ conference rivals matched their offer sheet.
Now comes this note from Sports Illustrated indicating that Dallas is looking to trade veteran wing Tim Hardaway Jr. and center JaVale McGee.
McGee, 35, has been on the block since the in-season NBA trade deadline. He fell out of head coach Jason Kidd’s rotation after landing with the team on a three-year, $17.2 million contract last summer. It seems more likely that Dallas will be forced to waive and stretch McGee in order to save money against the NBA salary cap.
Hardaway Jr. is the more intriguing name here. The veteran wing has spent the better part of the past half-decade in Dallas. While streaky, he’s proven to be a capable scorer. During his time with the Mavericks, Hardaway Jr. is averaging 15.4 points on 38% shooting from three-point range.
At issue here are his struggles on defense and a contract that will pay the veteran north of $34 million over the next two seasons.
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With Williams, Hardaway Jr., Josh Green and Jaden Hardy on the roster, Dallas seems to be wing heavy at this point. The team is also said to be high on both Green and Hardy as ascending young players.
Meanwhile, the Mavs are still looking for a starter-caliber center after acquiring Holmes and selecting former Duke star Dereck Lively in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft last month.
Looking at various NBA trade rumors, there are not a ton of quality big men on the block at this point in the summer. Marvin Bagley (Detroit Pistons), Wendell Carter Jr. (Orlando Magic), Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers) and (Clint Capela) are names that have been bandied about to a varying degree.
Even if the Mavericks include someone like Hardaway Jr. in an offer for one of those players, they’d have to add draft assets and/or young players.
At the very least, Harrison and Co. continue to do the work to improve an underperforming roster from a season ago.