Dallas Basketball

Will the Dallas Mavericks Deal for New Orleans Pelicans Defensive Wing?

The Dallas Mavericks have an opportunity to make another huge in-season addition.
Kade Kimble|
Mar 8, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (2) dribbles against New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) and guard CJ McCollum (3) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Mar 8, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (2) dribbles against New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) and guard CJ McCollum (3) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

In this story:

Dallas Mavericks

The NBA world is getting chaotic, and it's doing so quickly. Headlines are quickly pivoting to trade news, despite the deadline being quite a while away. With teams having more than a quarter of the season's worth of sample size, they have an understanding of their ceiling and what they can accomplish with their current squad.

The Dallas Mavericks are 16-9 and have begun to turn things around after a questionable start to the season. One club that has an incredibly bleak future is the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Pelicans are 5-20. Zion Williamson -- their franchise superstar -- is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury that has left him out for over a month. They've been a mediocre franchise in recent history, and being unable to remain healthy has been a major theme over that span.

With this, the Pelicans are expected to make a string of trades to kick off a new era. One name on the trade block could be Herbert Jones, though the team reportedly isn't planning to move him. The league is a business, and that could absolutely change if they decide to begin making a string of trades.

BovadaOfficial released odds for Jones' next team and where he will be traded, should the Pelicans end up moving on from him and his services. In the hypothetical odds, the Mavericks have the best chance at landing the wing with +350 odds.

Given the gravity of which Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving bring offensively, a three-and-D wing is a perfect archetype to add to the club. He can bolster the defensive side of the floor as a stopper while spacing the floor and playing off the Mavericks' stars.

It's hard to imagine the Pelicans dealing Jones to Dallas, but the trade could certainly make sense from an on-court perspective.

READ MORE: Grading the Dallas Mavericks' Start to the 2024-25 Season

Stick with MavericksGameday for more coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA offseason. 

Follow Kade Kimble on Twitter.

More Dallas Mavericks News

Published
Kade Kimble
KADE KIMBLE

Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's FanNation in 2022.

Home/News