The Dallas Mavericks trade for Spencer Dinwiddie back in February helped them big time as the season progressed. Teaming up with Jalen Brunson and Luka Doncic, Dinwiddie helped Dallas earn a surprise appearance in the Western Conference Finals.
Now that Dallas’ season is over after being eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the Conference Finals, there’s a lot of work for general manager Nico Harrison to do.
Brunson is set to become a free agent. He’s going to cost a ton of cash to retain. And in reality, there’s no telling if re-signing him will represent value.
Meanwhile, Doncic has played with just one All-Star since he entered the league back in 2018. If the loss to Golden State showed us one thing, it’s that the Mavericks rely too much on Doncic. They need more help behind him. If so, potentially setting up a sign-and-trade for Brunson could make sense.
Below, we look at three ideal Dallas Mavericks trade scenarios for the summer to bring this team back to NBA title contention.
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Dallas Mavericks use trade exception to find more depth
Dallas has a $10.87 million trade exception that’s set to expire on July 31. It stems from the deal that sent Josh Richardson to the Boston Celtics for Moses Brown back in July of 2020. Dallas could attach a future second-round pick to bring a veteran on board as a way to build up its bench.
Within that price point, guard Terrence Ross of the Orlando Magic and Kemba Walker of the New York Knicks could make some sense. In particular, Walker could use a change of scenery and would be a nice fit behind Dinwiddie if the Mavericks move off Brunson.
Related: Updated 2022 NBA trade rumors
Dallas Mavericks trade draft picks, young star for star forward
- Mavericks get: Pascal Siakam
- Raptors get: Davis Bertans, Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, two 1st-round picks, two 2nd-round picks
Siakam has been the subject of trade rumors for some time now. With the Raptors boasting reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes and an improved OG Anunoby in the frontcourt, it might finally be time for front office head Masai Ujiri to bite the bullet and trade Siakam.
In this hypothetical scenario, Toronto adds two role players in Bertans and Hardaway Jr. who can make immediate impacts. It also picks up Dallas’ first-round pick from 2021 and four future draft picks the team potentially could flip for another proven veteran who is a better fit in Canada.
- Pascal Siakam stats (2019-22): 22.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 47% shooting
Getting a legitimate All-Star to team up with Doncic would make these Mavericks legit title contenders. Add in the proposed trade below, and that’s magnified further.
Related: Ideal landing spots for Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson
Dallas Mavericks trade Jalen Brunson
Looking at roughly $25 million annually after a breakout 2021-22 campaign, there’s going to be a ton of interest in Brunson’s services on the open market. We’re also inclined to go against the grain and suggest that Dallas doesn’t dole out this type of cash for someone who might have a limited ceiling.
Given the economics surrounding free agency and the NBA salary cap, there’s a limited number of teams who can afford to sign Brunson outright. That puts Dallas in prime position to add more talent in a sign-and-trade.
With the Knicks’ interest in Brunson, Julius Randle could make sense for Dallas. In this hypothetical, Dallas would go big at three positions with Doncic, Siakam and Randle. It would also have Dinwiddie and Maxi Kleber to fill out the starting five with a deep bench consisting of Walker, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell and Reggie Bullock. That’s really nice.