Mavs' Tim Hardaway Jr., JaVale McGee Trade Chances Fading?

Trade speculation surrounded Tim Hardaway Jr. and JaVale McGee at the beginning of the NBA offseason, but with training camp just a little over a month away, both players are still Dallas Mavericks.

Despite all the trade speculation that surrounded Tim Hardaway Jr. and JaVale McGee to start the NBA offseason, is it possible that both players could still be on the Dallas Mavericks' roster when training camp begins at the end of September?

Back on July 7, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Mavs were expected to trade Hardaway and McGee, and that McGee could potentially be released if a trade wasn't found this summer.

"Trading Tim Hardaway Jr. and either trading or releasing JaVale McGee remain expected moves beyond all of the action in North Texas so far," Stein wrote.

If things keep moving as slowly as they have been in the NBA's trade market, with stars like Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard and Philadelphia 76ers' James Harden demanding trades but not getting their wish, then it's plausible to envision a scenario where Hardaway and McGee end up staying with the Mavs as the 2023-24 season approaches.

That's not to say a trade won't happen before then, but a lot of the Mavs' remaining trade opportunities for both of those players likely hinge on being a third team in other deal that go down. For example, if the Atlanta Hawks are successful in prying away Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors, that would open the door for the Mavs to acquire veteran big man Clint Capela as a third team while sending Hardaway to Toronto. The Raptors wouldn't need Capela due to having Jakob Poeltl as their starting center.

With each passing day, the Mavs' chances of being able to trade Hardaway or McGee might feel like they're fading, but in all reality, it just takes one big domino to fall in order to get the NBA transaction market moving again. And you can bet Mavs GM Nico Harrison and the rest of the Dallas front office are patiently waiting for their chance to pounce ... even if the Mavs fan base is impatient.

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