Mavs New Contract With Moses Brown; Prospect or Trade Chip?

The Dallas Mavericks are guaranteeing Moses Brown's contract for the rest of the season. Are they keeping him as a prospect or a potential trade chip?

When it comes to 22-year-old Dallas Mavericks big man Moses Brown, who was acquired from the Boston Celtics in the offseason in exchange for Josh Richardson, the raw stats won't 'wow' you in the same way his height and wingspan will.

Brown is only averaging 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game for the Mavs this season, but he's also only averaging 6.7 minutes per game as well. In the per-36 stats department, though, Brown is averaging 19.2 points and 12.4 rebounds.

On Friday, the Mavs had to make a choice on whether or not they were going to guarantee Brown's contract for this season or not, and according to a report by ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Dallas does indeed plan to guarantee it.

Given that Brown is still young as has shown flashes in limited opportunities this season, this decision is a no-brainer for Dallas. His contract is also extremely team-friendly, as Brown is making $1.8 million this season and has a $1.9 million team option for next season.

Brown has only played more than 11 minutes two times this season. He played 20 minutes in a blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies, where he put up a season-high 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks. In another victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brown played 12 minutes and tallied nine points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Keeping Brown around is a win-win situation for the Mavs. Brown, who has been taken under 2011 NBA champion Tyson Chandler's wing this season, could continue to develop and end up being a really nice contributor in the coming years.

On the flip side of that, Brown could also end up being a nice trade chip sweetener if the right opportunity presents itself. Brown doesn't have enough trade value to be the difference-making piece in pipe-dream type of trade, but he could net the Mavs a win-now, veteran piece from a tanking team looking to add picks or young players.

The NBA trade deadline on February 10 is getting closer by the day, so we won't have to wait too much longer to see if Brown's Dallas guarantee is truly for the rest of the season... or for just one more month.