Getty Willie Cauley-Stein, for the block
It didn’t take long for the Mavericks to find a bounce-back option once center Dwight Powell suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury two days ago. Desperate to remain in contention during Luka Doncic’s MVP-type season, the Mavs were not going to let a chance to ad a big man pass by.
On Friday, Dallas sprung into action and traded for Willie Cauley-Stein, the longtime Sacramento big man who signed with the Warriors this offseason.
First, the Mavericks had to clear a roster spot and did so by sending forward Isaiah Roby to Oklahoma City. Dallas took center Justin Patton back from the Thunder in that deal, with plans to cut Patton.
Dallas then pulled the trigger on the Cauley-Stein trade, sending Utah’s 2020 second-round pick—which figures to be near the end of the draft—to the Warriors. The deal was first reported by ESPN.
The Mavericks do already have the Warriors’ second-round pick this season, as a result of the deal that sent Andrew Bogut to Dallas in 2016, a move that cleared the way for Golden State to sign Kevin Durant. With the Warriors’ dreadful season thus far, that pick has proved to be valuable for the Mavs and there was no chance they’d send it back to the Warriors in a Cauley-Stein trade.
Cauley-Stein is a solid defensive center who started 37 games for the Warriors this year. He has averaged 7.9 points and 6.2 rebounds, with 1.2 blocked shots in 22.6 minutes per game. That should make him a good fit in Dallas alongside forward Kristaps Porzingis, probably even as the starter.
One problem, though: Cauley-Stein almost never shoots 3-pointers, having tried just 18 in his five-year career.
Powell had been averaging 9.4 points and 5.7 rebounds this year. He averaged 1.0 3-point attempts per game but was shooting just 25.6 percent from the arc.
Mavericks Roster & Projected Starting Lineup After Cauley-Stein Trade
Starters
C: Willie Cauley-Stein
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
SG: Tim Hardaway Jr.
PG: Luka Doncic
Bench
C: Maxi Kleber, Boban Marjanovic
F: Delon Wright, Justin Jackson
G: Seth Curry, Jalen Brunson, J.J. Barea, Courtney Lee
Expect More Mavericks Trade Talk
This is not the last we’ve heard from the Mavericks when it comes to the trade market. They’ve been one of the most persistent teams in the league, attached to several of the big names that could be available.
Dallas has been involved with the Timberwolves in talks for Robert Covington, and he is a player for whom they’d likely be willing to give up the Golden State second-rounder. The Wolves are looking for a first-rounder in a Covington deal, however.
The same can be said for Andre Iguodala, another Mavericks target. Dallas has the expiring contract of guard Courtney Lee to offer, plus the Warriors’ pick. But the Grizzlies want a first-rounder.
In a wishful-thinking rumor, the Mavs have also been connected to Thunder big man Danilo Gallinari, though Dallas lacks the assets to entice Oklahoma City into a trade.
Still, the Mavs are very thin in general and especially on the wing, where they’ve had to rely too much on undersize guards like Curry and Brunson. Doncic, fortunately, can play three positions, but the Mavs are conscious of the wear-and-tear they could put on their young star.
Expect another trade of some sort for Dallas before the February 6 deadline. It just might be another Cauley-Stein-type player rather than a star.
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