Could Jalen Brunson Net Mavs Ben Simmons in NBA Blockbuster Trade?
When it comes to blockbuster trades in the NBA, a lot of it has to do with the assets a team has. At the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious, a team has to really like what another team is offering if it’s going to pull the trigger on a franchise-altering deal.
Despite having a bare cupboard when it comes to draft capital, due to still owing the New York Knicks a 2023 first-round pick from the Kristaps Porzingis trade, the Dallas Mavericks do, in fact, still have some good trade assets … but are those assets good enough to get Dallas what it truly desires — a true, consistent No. 2 next to superstar Luka Doncic?
When comparing the Mavs assets to what other teams around the league could offer for Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard and other big names that come up in trade rumors, the answer to that question is probably ‘no’. But, as former Mavs general manager Donnie Nelson used to tell us, the nature of NBA trades is a “fireman’s existence,” meaning that timing is everything.
The Mavs might not have as much to offer as other teams, but they also didn’t have nearly the best assets to offer New York for Porzingis back in 2019 either. Nelson just happened to be on the phone at the right time.
Right now, Dallas’ best asset not named “Luka Doncic,” who is about as untouchable as you can get, has to be Jalen Brunson. Brunson is averaging career-highs across the board when comes to points, rebounds and assists, and his separate numbers as a starter make him look like a blossoming star in his fourth season.
In 15 games as a starter this season, Brunson is averaging 20.9 points and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep. For context, if you take away the assists, here is the list of players to meet those qualifiers so far this season: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Karl-Anthony Towns. That’s it.
And if you add the assists back into the equation? Brunson would be the only player in the league meeting all of those qualifiers.
The Philadelphia 76ers have made it known that they want a ‘top-30 player’ in return for Ben Simmons. Brunson’s numbers as a starter, paired with the fact that he’s just now entering his prime at age 25, would at the very least give the 76ers something to seriously consider.
Not to mention, Brunson played his college ball at Villanova, which is about a 20-mile drive from Philadelphia, so GM Daryl Morey likely wouldn’t have a hard time selling a Brunson homecoming to a 76ers fan base that has grown weary of the Simmons saga.
Philly’s demands for Simmons have been high, but at a certain point, a high-tension situation like that tends to take a toll on a franchise and its locker room. Would the 76ers entertain a trade package from Dallas featuring Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber? It would certainly be an upgrade for them over Simmons not playing at all, but again, timing is everything with these kind of things.
Brunson has proved that he is a true starting-caliber point guard this season, and if the Mavs don’t think they can start him full-time with Doncic going forward due to defensive concerns or whatever it may be, it might be time to start the trade calls early.
Brunson could potentially make over $20 million per year in next summer’s unrestricted free agency period, and maybe the Mavs would be fine paying him something like that without having a much bigger role when Doncic is healthy. But what matters the most to Brunson? Money, bigger role or both?
Dallas needs to be finding out the answer to that now and start planning the future of it accordingly.
