This Draft Night Trade With Kings Could Make Mavs Title Contenders
Despite having a special season that ended in the Western Conference finals, GM Nico Harrison still has a lot of work to do this summer in order to make the Dallas Mavericks true championship contenders. Luka Doncic is an otherworldly talent, and his current supporting cast has proven to be capable of big things when rested, but Dallas must add more reliable depth to its current roster to take that next step.
Two of the Mavs' biggest roster needs, aside from eventually adding a second All-Star caliber player, include finding an upgrade at the starting center position, as well as another versatile two-way wing to take some of the burden off of Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock's shoulders. When the NBA Draft commences on June 23, Dallas should try to accomplish both of those goals by calling the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings have missed the postseason for 16 consecutive seasons, which is an unfortunate NBA record. Although the Kings tried to shake things up at the trade deadline by acquiring All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis from the Indiana Pacers, they did so by trading away their promising 22-year-old guard Tyrese Haliburton.
That trade didn't seem to affect much for Sacramento in the win column, as the team finished the season with a 10-17 record after the trade deadline – and seven of those 10 wins came against non-playoff teams. The Kings might need to blow things up once more, and here is a draft night trade we'd like to see happen:
Mavs receive: Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes
Kings receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Dwight Powell, Josh Green and Dallas' 2022 — or — 2025 first-round pick
Note: The Mavs technically wouldn't be able to trade their 2022 first-round pick due to the NBA's Stepien rule, but they could select a player on draft night with the No. 26 pick and then trade that player if needed.
Harrison Barnes is entering the final year of his deal with the Kings. If Sacramento wanted maximum value for Barnes on the trade market, they likely missed their best chance at achieving that by not trading him in February. He averaged 16.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 77 games for the Kings while shooting 46.9 percent from the field, including 39.4 percent from deep.
Although Barnes' first stint with the Mavs ended awkwardly – he had a hard time transitonating from being the No. 1 option to being a secondary option to a rookie Luka Doncic – the situations on both sides are much different now. He would be a great fit in Dallas and would get the Mavs closer to having championship-level depth.
Ricahun Holmes is a center target for the Mavs we've already written about in recent days. Like Powell, Holmes is an excellent rim runner, but he's also a better rebounder and has a unique push shot on offense that extremely efficient. He averaged 10.4 points and seven rebounds in just 23.9 minutes per game for the Kings. Holmes' per-36 averages were 15.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
The Kings have been linked to Tim Hardaway Jr. in trade rumors before. Current team management might not like him the same way now, especially with Hardaway Jr. coming off a foot fracture injury, but when healthy, he's a very serviceable sixth man who can fill in as a started when needed. Hardaway Jr. is also on a very favorable contract that descends with each passing year. He has three years remaining on his current deal worth around $54 million.
Powell would be a downgrade for the Kings over Holmes, but again, the two players have a similar style of play. Powell has proven that he can be serviceable big in the regular season, as he shot 67.1 percent from the field – the second-highest percentage in team history. Also, this is where the Mavs throwing in a first-round pick and young wing prospect Josh Green comes into play.
The Mavs will have their hands in a lot of different scenarios this offseason. There's already been rumblings about Dallas weighing whether it should join the Zach LaVine free agency race. Even if the Mavs can't land a second All-Star player, though, filling holes in the roster will help them get to the next level. Giving the Kings a call on draft night can't hurt.
You can follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter at @dalton_trigg
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