Mavs Can Address Multiple Roster Needs with This Pistons Trade
As the calendar turns to June, the NBA Draft is just three weeks away, and the Dallas Mavericks will have to decide whether to keep their No. 10 pick or trade it in a package deal that allows them to address several roster needs immediately. Admittedly, we don't believe the Mavs can fill every roster hole they have in this one offseason, but that doesn't mean the front office can't give it a shot.
"To [Mavs] fans that are frustrated, they should be frustrated," Mavs GM Nico Harrison said his team missing the postseason just one year after making it to the Western Conference Finals.
"I’m frustrated [too]. This year is not acceptable. ... Nobody can be harder on myself than I am. I take my job seriously and wins and losses and not reaching our goals. And so I feel for [the fans]. The only confidence I can give them is that we’re gonna evaluate everything and we’re not gonna be in this position again."
With that being said, there are surely going to be a handful of options for the Mavs to choose from in the coming weeks. Whether it's settling for a talented prospect in one of the deepest drafts in recent memory, or making a big trade to cover more ground when it comes to roster depth, Harrison will have an opportunity to back up his bold statement.
One trade scenario with the Detroit Pistons would be a big step in the right direction for the Mavs, who are hoping to become a contender again as soon as possible. Before we layout that scenario, though, let's walk through the thought process here:
- Dallas has been linked to Detroit veteran forward Bojan Bogdanovic a handful of times in the last year, and as good as he still is, he'll turn 35 years old by playoff time next season.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. has a good relationship with Pistons' up-and-coming star Cade Cunningham, and he's only got two years left on his descending contract. Hardaway will make $17.9 million in 2023-24 and then $16.2 million in 2024-25.
- The Pistons, after being the worst team in the league with a 17-65 record, had some awful lottery luck and ended up with the No. 5 pick despite being tied with the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets for the best odds. Could the No. 5 pick paired with the Mavs' No. 10 pick help the Pistons move up into the top three?
The scenario we could see working for both the Mavs and the Pistons on draft night would be Dallas receiving Bogdanovic and Jalen Duren in exchange for Hardaway and the No. 10 pick. Getting Detroit to part with Duren, who is still just 19 years old and nearly averaged a double-double during his rookie season in just 25 minutes per game would be tough. But, if the Pistons are able to jump to the No. 2 or No. 3 pick to select a better prospect than they'd get at No. 5, perhaps they could be talked into it.
Adding Bogdanovic and Duren would be a godsend for the Mavs, as the team desperately needs more rebounding, defense and wing depth. If the Pistons love Duren enough to where they don't care about potentially moving up in the draft, then this scenario is dead in the water. But given Detroit's plethora of other young big men on its roster, maybe the possibility of adding a guy like Brandon Miller would be more appealing than holding onto Duren.
The Mavs have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com as rumors and speculation start to fly. In the meantime, though, which team says "no" to the proposed trade above? You can weigh in here:
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