Mavs Show Trade Interest in Nets' O'Neale; Finney-Smith, Dinwiddie Return to Dallas?
The NBA trade deadline is just 11 days away, and the Dallas Mavericks have been linked to several players in trade rumors as they look to improve their frontcourt situation. At 25-21, the Mavs aren't good enough to be considered title contenders, even with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the roster. The idea is to take a step in the right direction toward changing that if you're the Mavs' front office.
According to the New York Post, another player the Mavs have interest in before the trade deadline is Brooklyn Nets' Royce O'Neale.
"Brooklyn’s three oldest players — point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, power forward Dorian Finney-Smith and wing Royce O’Neale — could very well transition from being part of the core to just part of the rest. Or even part of their asset list," Brian Lewis writes.
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"[Finney-Smith has] been linked to the Bucks, Lakers, Mavericks and Thunder, while O’Neale could fetch a first-round pick and has reportedly drawn interest from the Bucks, Mavs, Nuggets, Pacers and Timberwolves."
We already know Finney-Smith would be an excellent fit in Dallas based on his last stint with the team, but O'Neale could provide a positive impact as well. At 6-4, O'Neale is truly a small forward, but he has a 6-10 wingspan and is better on the defensive end than several other Mavs forwards. The 30-year-old veteran is averaging 7.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting just 37.9 percent overall, but 35.8 percent from deep.
Although the Mavs' biggest needs are in the frontcourt, they could also use a true third ball-handler capable of creating his own shot, and the idea of bringing back Dinwiddie is an intriguing one. Dinwiddie thrived in a sixth-man role during the Mavs' 2022 Western Conference Finals run when Dallas had Doncic and Jalen Brunson as the lead guards. One could argue that the same success could be replicated with Doncic, Irving and Dinwiddie.
Dinwiddie has struggled this season, as he's averaging 13.1 points and 6.0 assists per game, but he's shooting just 39.4 percent overall and 32.7 percent from deep. While in Dallas, Dinwiddie shot 46.6 percent from the field, including 40.4 percent from deep while benefiting from Doncic's spacing.
Although the Mavs probably wouldn't like the idea of spending draft capital to get Finney-Smith back considering they gave up a 2029 along with him to get Irving last season, it might be worth it if they'd also be able to get off bad contracts while taking on O'Neale and Dinwiddie's expiring contracts. We'll see if there's any traction on the Mavs getting any of these three players in the next week and half.
