LISTEN: 'Mavs Tea Leaves' - Rumors on Trade For Dragic, Markkanen Or Both?

It has been a quiet couple of weeks for the Dallas Mavericks since that initial day of NBA Free Agency. After signing Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown, as well as re-signing Tim Hardaway Jr. and Boban Marjanovic, the Mavs haven't done anything else yet. Dallas, however, is still being linked to Luka Doncic's Slovenian 'big brother' Goran Dragic, who was recently traded from the Miami Heat to the Toronto Raptors, and Lauri Markkanen, who has made it known publicly that he doesn't want to return to the Chicago Bulls. So what's the hold up on any of these potential deals?

On this episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, hosts Dalton Trigg, Matt Galatzan and Grant Afseth attempt to read some of the 'Mavs Tea Leaves' as it relates to the Dragic and Markkanen rumors. Isn't it odd that Josh Green, despite being fully healthy and not getting much run in the Tokyo Olympics for Australia, has been held out of Summer League play in Las Vegas? The same question can be asked about Moses Brown, who was reportedly set to play in Summer League for the Boston Celtics before being traded to Dallas. And has anyone noticed how quiet the Mavs' social media accounts have been when it comes to Dwight Powell this offseason?

Maybe that last one is a little too conspiracy theory-ish, but given that those three salaries match up perfectly for a potential trade with either the Bulls for Markkanen or the Raptors for Dragic, it makes you wonder if the biggest hold up is simply the calendar. Brown can't be traded again until August 19th, and he can't be traded again with other players added in the deal until October 1st.

What if the Mavs have the same potential trade package lined up for both Toronto or Chicago, and they just have to choose what the better route to take is? Would you rather trade two young players on team-friendly deals for potentially just one year of Dragic who is 35 years old, or for Markannen, who is only 24 years old and would have to be signed to a deal of at least three years with no options per the NBA's sign-and-trade rules?

We discuss all those questions at length, as well as both Dragic and Markkanen's fits with the team, the Mavs' disappointing Summer League in Las Vegas and new two-contract signee Eugene Omoruyi's potential and fit with Dallas going forward. And yes, we took a handful of calls from our listeners as well! Enjoy the entire episode here:

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