NBA Source: Mavs Not Involved in Any "Serious'' Trade Conversations (Yet)
DALLAS - On Tuesday, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that the Dallas Mavericks were a possible landing spot for the in-limbo Memphis Grizzlies veteran wing, Andre Iguodala.
This trade idea, which isn't "gossip'' but rather a Mavs front-office concept, as our Mike Fisher originally reported back in June would theoretically send the $12.759 million deal of Courtney Lee, plus a second-round pick in exchange for the three-time champion.
But now we advance the ball again on the Mavs' in-house thought on an NBA trade ... and it'll cause us all to hold our horses, as sources have told Dallasbasketball.com that, while the Mavs did engage the Grizzlies in July - and while they may have continued interest in Iggy and certainly in other ways to improve - they have not involved themselves in "serious'' conversations during this regular season with any team regarding any player.
Does that kill an Iggy pursuit? Absolutely not.
In fact, we think the idea is still a sound one on paper for both sides, as with the expiring deal of Lee and the pick, the Grizzlies would free themselves of the burden of buying out Iguodala, while simultaneously acquiring a draft asset.
As for the Mavs, head coach Rick Carlisle has displayed little confidence in deploying perimeter defending wing Justin Jackson with any sort of consistency, resulting in some increased run and difficult assignments for Dorian Finney-Smith.
To his credit, Finney-Smith has done an admirable job through the first 17 games of this season, and better across the board in almost every statistical category, while maintaining a constant presence in the starting lineup.
Even so, it has become evident that the Mavs have a big-time need in that area. As a dependable veteran defensive wing presence with championship experience, Iguodala fits that bill, and thanks to his expiring deal, his acquisition would not impact any future plans the Mavs have going forward into the future. At the same time, check the Mavs' track record under owner Mark Cuban in this department; he almost always prefers to give an early-season roster time to gel before pulling big triggers of change.
But for now, though the Mavs have their ears open for any possible deal that could improve their current standing, any "re-broken'' report story that suggests a trade talk is occurring now is wrong. And any such story coming from an outlet that ignores our original reporting? In a different way, that's "wrong'' of them, too.
