Kings Make Hield & Holmes Available; Can Mavs Trade for Both?
The Dallas Mavericks are a good basketball team as currently constructed. In fact, they’ve already been labeled as a ‘stealth NBA contender.’
But as we witnessed on Thursday night when Dallas fell to the league-leading Phoenix Suns, the Mavs still have another step to take in order to go from ‘stealth’ contenders to ‘bonafide’ contenders.
The NBA trade deadline, which is less than three weeks away, could be an excellent opportunity for the Mavs to upgrade their roster. We've already discussed the possibility of a Harrison Barnes reunion in Dallas, but what if the Mavs aimed for a package for both of Buddy Hield and Richaun Holmes instead?
"Everyone not named De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton can be had, for the right price," says James Ham of The Kings Beat in a new report.
"Core players like Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes are available according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The hope is that there are different combinations of players that somehow fit better with Fox and Haliburton."
To us, that last part sounds like the Kings are almost to the point of just shaking things up for the sake of shaking things up, given that the team is 18-29 in a year where it’s trying to avoid setting the NBA record for longest playoff drought. It has been 15 years since Sacramento participated in postseason play.
"One, two and even all three (of Barnes, Hield and Holmes) could find a new home over the next three weeks," said Ham. "One or two may stick around and continue to be part of a new core. That is what happens when a team underperforms."
It has been rumored in the past that the Kings have had interest in Tim Hardaway Jr. Given that Hardaway Jr. is in the first year of a four-year, $72 million deal and underperforming, perhaps those feelings have changed. Regardless, here’s an offer we think the Mavs should at least call the Kings about:
Mavs receive: Buddy Hield, Richaun Holmes
Kings receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber, Josh Green, a 2027 first round pick, and two future second round picks
Is this the best offer the Kings could get for those two players? In all honesty, probably not, considering that Sacramento is in the running for a potential Ben Simmons trade.
But if that doesn’t happen, and the Kings truly are looking to just shake things up, perhaps Mavs general manager Nico Harrison can take advantage and make his first really big splash.
