Mavericks Explored Trade With Pacers Before Blockbuster Lakers Deal: Report

On Saturday night or Sunday morning depending where you are located, the entire NBA world was changed due to one trade. The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks shocked the basketball world swapping star guard Luka Doncic for star big man Anthony Davis.

The deal seemingly came out of nowhere and has been one of the biggest moments in sports history. Nobody saw this coming and it was kept completely under wraps while being discussed.

But apparently, before the trade was finalized, the Mavericks spoke with the Indiana Pacers about a swap of players. While Doncic was never on the table for Indiana, another player who was traded could have been.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Mavericks discussed trade talks with Indiana around center Maxi Kleber and Obi Toppin. These were exploratory and Kleber now resides in Los Angeles.

"Lastly, Dallas previously discussed Maxi Kleber in exploratory trade talks with the Indiana Pacers for forward Obi Toppin before including him in the Doncic trade, league sources told HoopsHype."

While this trade never came about, it is certainly interesting to think about. This means that Indiana had enough interest in Kleber to get on the phone to discuss some type of deal for him.

Even though he is now with the Lakers, there is always a chance that he could be flipped elsewhere. Kleber can't be traded with any other players due to rules but he could be re-routed in a deal by himself.

If the Pacers were interested in him, they could strike up a conversation with the Lakers to see what it may take to land the big man. Kleber is currently dealing with an injury but Indiana also has a need for more help in the frontcourt so it could be a strong addition.

The big man is currently making $11 million this season and is also on the books next year for $11 million as well. While he hasn't had a great year so far, Kleber can space the floor and plays decent enough defense to get by.

The veteran has been with the Mavericks for his entire career up until the trade. It remains to be seen if Indiana will engage Los Angeles about Kleber but with a few days left until the trade deadline, almost anything is possible.

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For all the latest news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, stay tuned to Pacers On SI.