NBA Insider: Mavs’ Josh Green ‘Very Attractive’ On Trade Market
The Dallas Mavericks entered this offseason with hopes of re-signing Kyrie Irving and upgrading both their defense and rebounding to surround Luka Doncic with a formattable roster.
Through the middle of July, the Mavericks have done just about everything on their to-do list except upgrade at the starting center position. The Mavs have attempted to do that on numerous occasions, but they weren't necessarily aligned with others teams on the price to do so.
On Tuesday's episode of Howdy Partners with Tim MacMahon, the ESPN reporter discussed the Mavericks' offseason, which included the future of Josh Green.
“When teams call the Mavericks, or the Mavericks call teams, the names that come up very early in those conversations are Josh Green and Jaden Hardy,” MacMahon said. “Those are the players that other teams look at as far as being very attractive trade pieces.”
When the Mavs were engaged in trade talks with the Hawks for center Clint Capela, Atlanta reportedly asked for Green or Hardy in return, which Dallas immediately shot down.
“Josh Green is going to have a market,” MacMahon said. “I would say the Mid-Level, the full Mid-Level is going to be the floor for him.”
A contract at the full MLE would look a lot like what Dallas just landed Grant Williams for at a four-year, $54 million.
In 60 games last season, Green averaged career-high’s across the board with 9.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range in just under 26 minutes per game, which included just 21 starts.
“Look, if the Mavericks don’t see him as a starting small forward then I think it does make sense to move him in a trade because there are other franchises that do,” MacMahon said.
MacMahon has a point — if Green’s role going into his fourth season hasn’t seen a significant jump in consistency, both on his end from a production standpoint and in Jason Kidd’s rotation patterns, that might show Dallas’ cards on how they truly view his potential.
And if a win-now defensive anchor at center is the prize of parting with Green, it may just be something the Mavericks’ front office has to seriously revisit and consider.
Follow Michael Mulford on Twitter. Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here. Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.
