Mavs Trade: Deal for Nets’ Nic Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith Possible?
As we near the end of what has been a roster-altering offseason for the Dallas Mavericks, additional moves can still be made before the new season begins.
After missing the postseason for the first time since Luka Doncic's rookie year in 2018-19, the Mavs redecorated over 50 percent of their roster with a series of moves, including trading for former Boston Celtics 3-and-D forward Grant Williams, acquiring former Sacramento Kings big man Richaun Holmes and promising rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper in the draft, and signing veterans Seth Curry, Derrick Jones Jr. and Dante Exum.
Also, as Mavs owner Mark Cuban blamed last season's failures on unnamed players not being willing to accept their roles, Dallas decided to let Christian Wood walk to the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency without even making an attempt to retain him, and it stretched and waived JaVale McGee, who still had two years remaining on his contract. We assume all of you sharp readers at home will be able to read between the lines on that particular issue.
Despite making all of these moves, there are a couple of rumors that lingered throughout the summer that haven't happened yet: 1) the Mavs still haven't made a trade for the veteran starting center they've reportedly coveted, and 2) Tim Hardaway Jr., who always seems to find himself in trade rumors, is still on the roster.
By now, we've nearly talked ourselves to death about the idea of the Mavs trading for Atlanta Hawks' Clint Capela or Phoenix Suns' Deandre Ayton, but what if they revisited the Brooklyn Nets for a follow-up trade after they acquired Kyrie Irving in February? Here's the trade idea we have in mind:
Mavs receive: Nic Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith. Nets receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, three second-round picks.
USA Today
Both Claxton and Green are eligible for contract extensions, but neither has received one yet, although reports say the Mavs opened initial talks with Green last month. If extensions can't get worked out with their current teams, perhaps a double sign-and-trade with the Mavs and Nets could appease both sides. At 24 years old, Claxton is the type of big the Mavs hope Lively develops into, but there's no guarantee their 19-year-old rookie will be ready for the responsibilities that come with being an NBA staring center by the time the season begins.
Green is a nice, young player for the Nets to receive in this hypothetical deal in hopes of the Mavs not having to give up another future first-round pick – something Dallas is already running low on. However, with Day'Ron Sharpe being the only other center on the roster aside from Claxton, perhaps the Nets would consider taking Holmes and an unprotected first-round pick instead of Green and the second-round picks listed above. That might be wishful thinking from a Mavs perspective, but you never know.
With the Nets not longer having Joe Harris or Seth Curry on their roster, they would figure to be one team that could benefit from taking on Hardaway and the remaining two years on his contract worth a total of $34 million. Hardaway might be one of the more streaky players in the league, but when he's clicking, his impact on games is undeniable. The Mavs were 1-10 in games where Hardaway had to sit out last season.
This deal would also allow the Mavs to reunite with Doncic's good friend and fan favorite Finney-Smith. After being traded to Brooklyn in the Irving deal, Finney-Smith struggled with his efficiency, as he shot just 35.1 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from deep. Given that he's still owed $44 million over the next three seasons, perhaps the Nets would be willing to send him back to Dallas where he was best utilized with Doncic setting the table for him.
In all honesty, it would probably be easier to just make it a trade where Hardaway and a first-round pick is exchanged for Claxton alone, but why not try to get more bang for your buck if you're the Mavs? Sure, Green is younger and has more potential than Finney-Smith, but Finney-Smith has a lot more experience, especially in the playoffs. The trade-off of young upside for older experience in this case would be worth it if it means being able to add Claxton into the mix.
This particular trade idea isn't as 'pipe-dreamy' as some of the other trades we've discussed at DallasBasketball.com over the offseason, but does that mean it has a real chance of happening? That could be determined by what goes on behind the scenes with contract-extension negotiations.
