Mavs Considered ‘Dark Horse’ Trade Candidate for Spurs’ Jakob Poeltl
It’s no secret that the Dallas Mavericks could use some big-man help before the NBA’s Feb. 9 trade deadline passes.
Although Dallas has some talented bigs on its roster in Christian Wood, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell, the first two of that group are injured. But even if the injuries weren’t a factor, having that entire stable of big men healthy still probably wouldn’t be enough to keep the Mavs from being near the bottom of the league in rebounding. Right now, Dallas is dead last in that category.
So what are some realistic center options for the Mavs on the trade market? According to a report from SpursTalk.com’s LJ Ellis, San Antonio Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl could be a name to watch for Dallas.
A scout for a team in the Western Conference told me that he believes that the Dallas Mavericks are the dark horse in the Poeltl sweepstakes.
“[Poeltl] would be a talent upgrade in a position of need and he’d be a great fit for Luka’s read-and-react style,” the scout explained.
That said, I haven’t heard of any trade discussions between the Spurs and the Mavs on the Poeltl front.
Poeltl is set to be an unrestricted this summer and is reportedly looking for a contract in the $20 million per year range. In 38 games for the Spurs, Poeltl is averaging 12.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 blocks in 26 minutes of action per contest.
Although the 27-year-old doesn’t shoot 3s, he does shoot a stellar 63.3 percent overall and would be an excellent fit in Dallas — not only with Luka Doncic specifically, but in coach Jason Kidd’s system as well.
The question is, do the Mavs like Poeltl enough to potentially burn an unprotected first-round pick on him? Because that seems to be where the bidding starts for his services.
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