Should Mavs Go 'All-In' Before NBA Trade Deadline or Play It Safe?
With the NBA trade deadline officially one full month away, teams across the league are assessing their rosters in order to determine what changes need to be made.
This could be a difficult assessment for the Dallas Mavericks front office to make this year, as the team is 22-15 despite being ranked third in the league when it comes to games missed by players due to injury. On one hand, the Mavs have shown great potential when all of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II are healthy. On the other hand, it has been apparent that at least a few upgrades are needed – most notably, the starting four position and the backup five.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
In a recent article by Bleacher Report, the Mavs were pegged as being one of five teams that should go "all-in" before the trade deadline, along with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers.
"While the Mavs were aggressive enough to trade for Kyrie Irving at the deadline last season, even this hasn't been enough. Lineups with Doncic and Irving still carry a fairly modest net rating of plus-4.3, with their most-used five of Doncic, Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., Grant Williams and rookie Dereck Lively II actually being beaten overall this season (minus-2.8 net rating in 219 total possessions)," B/R writes.
"Doncic is good enough to rescue the Mavs on most nights with his incredible scoring and playmaking ability. Irving is still a capable No. 2 option, although injuries and now age (he'll turn 32 in March) are beginning to factor in."
If the Mavs have an opportunity to make a significant upgrade at a reasonable price, then they should certainly do so. However, given the promise the team has shown when the roster is healthy, it would be a mistake to "sell the farm," so to speak, especially if it's for a player like Toronto Raptors' Pascal Siakam, who is nearly 30 and will be an unrestricted free agent in six months.
The Mavs have reported interest in Siakam and Portland Trail Blazers' Jerami Grant as potential power-forward upgrades, but if the price remains "too steep," then Dallas can still upgrade with second-tier options like Brooklyn Nets' Dorian Finney-Smith or Charlotte Hornets' P.J. Washington. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com in the coming days and weeks as trade rumors and reports continue to heat up.
