Report: Mavs Eying Myles Turner or John Collins Trade
The Dallas Mavericks have put together a respectable first half of the 2021-22 season despite having no shortage of ups and downs along the way. More is clearly needed to take the next step, however.
As the trade deadline nears, while the Mavericks may be limited on assets, they appear to be a team that seems motivated to make a move.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks have been 'trying to get into the trade mix' for Myles Turner or John Collins among a variety of other notes related to the team.
Dallas has been trying to get into the trade mix for Turner or Collins. Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith, two low-salaried but highly rated Mavericks headed for unrestricted free agency this summer barring contract extensions by June 30, have no shortage of suitors.
But Dallas' ability to swing a significant trade could hinge on its ability to find a trade partner for Tim Hardaway Jr., who is averaging just 14.5 points (his lowest mark in five seasons) and shooting a mere 39.2% from the field and 32.8% from 3-point range after signing a four-year, $75 million contract in August.
The Mavericks' interest in Collins has been known for quite some time and has dated back before his free agency last summer. A key part of the appeal with Collins is his versatility on offense. He is a high flying lob threat that can knock down catch-and-shoot three-pointers and use his quickness as a threat off the dribble.
It remains unlikely for the Hawks to actually move Collins in a trade, even though he recently expressed a desire to have greater involvement in the team's half-court offense. The future salary complications of having to pay Cam Reddish were also eliminated by Atlanta moving him to the New York Knicks on Thursday.
The Mavericks could make sense as a destination for Collins if the Hawks were to execute a multi-team trade for Ben Simmons. Unless Tobias Harris is able to get moved in the process, there'd be a lot of overlap at the power forward position.
Myles Turner is another name that has been linked to the Mavericks over the years and is coming up once again. The elite rim protection would raise the overall unit defensively, and when coupled with his stretch-five abilities, he'd be an intriguing center to pair with Luka Doncic.
At this point, a trade for Turner appears to be more likely than one for Collins. The Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks both may be struggling, but there's greater reasoning and built up frustration with the Pacers’ frontcourt pairing of Turner and Domantas Sabonis than there is with Collins' situation.
It appears that the Mavericks would need to benefit from a lack of a robust market for either Collins or Turner in order to pull off a deal. Sometimes, it's not always the team with the best assets that gets a deal done. Timing is everything.
There are other factors to take into consideration such as the general landscape of the position market and urgency of other suitors to do a midseason trade, to name a few.
