Mavericks Trade Idea: Celtics Send Defensive Player of the Year to Dallas

The mock trade sent Celtics guard Marcus Smart to his hometown team as the Mavericks found a home for the No. 10 pick.

With the NBA draft just days away, the clock is ticking on the Dallas Mavericks to make a decision on what to do with the No. 10 pick.

On Sunday’s episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons proposed a trade that would send the No. 10 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft and Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Boston Celtics for guard Marcus Smart.

Simmons’ thinking was to give Dallas a boost defensively on the perimeter in the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, while Boston eases their logjam at point guard with an added asset in No. 10 and a shooter off the bench in Hardaway Jr as recent reports have suggested that the Celtics are looking to move one of Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Payton Pritchard, or Derrick White this summer. 

The addition of Smart, a Flower Mound, Tx. native, would certainly help the Mavs' perimeter defense, likely paired alongside former teammate Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. But, what the Mavericks really need in a trade for No. 10 is more size, whether that’s on the wing or at center. 

Simmons then toyed with trade that swapped Hardaway Jr. for Bertans in the same deal, which would be more enticing for Dallas being that they could still look to move THJ in another trade while still being able to get off the remaining two years, $33 million of Bertans' contract.

While Smart doesn't seem like the favorite to be on his way out of Boston, there's arguments to make for both sides in the proposed deal. Though as mentioned above, an upgrade at center is the end goal if Dallas does indeed part with the No. 10 pick.

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