Getty Christian Wood of the Dallas Mavericks.
Luka Doncic has been carrying the load for the Dallas Mavericks this season, piggybacking their offense. Christian Wood has played well for them, but many have urged Dallas to seek extra help for Doncic, who just led the team to the Western Conference Finals last year.
The 23-year-old phenom looks primed to be one of the best players of all time, but the current roster around him doesn’t seem equipped to compete for a title. Sources who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports suggested a deal with the Atlanta Hawks that could solve some of their problems.
Here’s an outline of the proposed deal:
Mavericks receive: John Collins
Hawks receive: Wood, Josh Green, Frank Ntlikina
Collins is just 25 years old and has taken a step back this year, but when given the opportunity, he’s been an All-Star-caliber player. If he were to get the chance to play alongside Doncic, there’s a good chance he could put up career-best numbers.
That being said, Wood is putting up better numbers than Collins this season. The Hawks forward has appeared in 22 of the team’s 30 games and is playing 31.5 minutes per contest. He’s putting up 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 48.4% shooting from the field and 21.9% shooting from distance.
Meanwhile, Wood’s numbers look much better. The Mavericks big man has appeared in 27 of the team’s 30 games and is playing an average of 27.0 minutes. Wood is averaging 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 54.7% shooting from the floor and 40.0% shooting from deep.
The big difference is the players’ length of contracts. Wood’s deal is up at the end of the season, meaning the Mavericks would have to compete to re-sign him in unrestricted free agency. Meanwhile, Collins is under contract through the 2025-26 season, with a player option in the final year of his deal.
Mavericks Urged to Trade for Myles Turner
A deal for Collins would give the Mavericks a serious shake-up, but it’s not the only deal that they could get involved in. Dalton Trigg of Sports Illustrated pleaded for the Mavericks to trade for Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner.
“Even before Maxi Kleber went down with a torn hamstring, the Dallas Mavericks could’ve used a versatile defensive anchor like Indiana Pacers big man and DFW native Myles Turner. Now, with Kleber set to miss at least six-to-eight weeks? They could use Turner’s services more than ever.”
Mavericks ‘Expressed Interest’ in Bojan Bogdanovic
Again, however, the Mavericks could potentially look at lots of other deals in the trade market. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Dallas has “expressed interest” in trading for Detroit Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic.
“Bogdanovic’s strong play has led numerous playoff-caliber teams around the league to express interest in trading for him, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks, among several others, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote. “Thus far, Detroit has been unwilling to engage in trade talks for the 33-year-old forward. Rival executives, however, are hopeful that stance changes closer to the deadline if Detroit continues to remain in the cellar of the East, with Cade Cunningham expected to miss the rest of the season.”
