Getty Josh Green #8 of the Dallas Mavericks.
It’s been a season of ups and downs so far for the Dallas Mavericks, a team entering the season with a head of steam after a fun (and surprising) trip to the Western Conference Finals last season. The season’s recent thorns include an ejection for both Luka Doncic and Jason Kidd against the Timberwolves, a rough Dwight Powell injury, and an ongoing debate over Christian Wood‘s playing time.
Yet many of those problems have been masked, at least superficially, by Luka’s ascendancy to the top of the MVP ladder. Despite Doncic’s brilliance, however, the Mavericks still desperately need a viable co-star for Dallas to reach its peak potential. But don’t expect the team to use rising star Josh Green as trade leverage for said co-star.
According to Tim Cato of The Athletic, the Mavericks think highly of Green, so much so that he might be untradeable for Dallas.
“[M]y understanding is that the Mavericks would be very hesitant to trade Green at this point. One person in the front office told me that he considered him the team’s third-most important player after Dončić and [Spencer] Dinwiddie. It’s a stance I agree with for the reasons listed above.”
Green is in the midst of his best season, finally providing some validation for Dallas spending the No. 18 pick on him three years ago. He’s shooting 44.4 percent from three (best on the team among players who’ve appeared in at least five games) on just over two attempts per game.
At just 20 minutes per game, it’s fair to wonder if Green deserves more time in the lineup, including among the starting five. If his efficiency holds up with an increased volume, he’s arguably one of the team’s best fits next to Luka.
Mavericks Likely Won’t Solve ‘Number One’ Concern This Season
As it stands, Green might be Dallas’ best trade piece. That’s because the Mavericks’ other best trade asset, next summer’s first-round pick, is likely headed to the Knicks because of the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
“I would not hold your breath for them being able to solve their number one concern this year simply because of the pick they still owe on the [Kristaps Porzingis] thing,” Mavs insider Tim MacMahon said recently on The Hoop Collective podcast. “It’s very hard to do.”
Nonetheless, the urgency to find a co-star for Doncic is running high in Dallas. Luka has yet to play alongside an in-form All-Star or otherwise promising young talent.
That’s something none of the other top-five picks in the 2018 NBA draft can say. After drafting DeAndre Ayton (and trading for Mikal Bridges) in 2018, the Phoenix Suns went out and acquired Chris Paul, adding the point god to a lineup that also featured Devin Booker. The Grizzlies added Ja Morant and Desmond Bane for Jaren Jackson, Jr. (selected fourth), and last summer, the Hawks brought in Dejounte Murray from the Spurs to pair with Trae Young (selected fifth). Even Marvin Bagley, selected second in an oh-so-very Sacramento Kings move, at least gets to play with Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham in Detroit after a trade to the Motor City.
Because of that checkered history, it’s completely unsurprising to hear that Doncic’s days in Dallas might be numbered.
Mavs Facing ‘Two-Year Window’ to Keep Doncic in Dallas
In addition to pumping the brakes on any big fix for Dallas, MacMahon also raised the alarm on Doncic’s future with the Mavericks.
“I think they have a two-year window,” MacMahon opined. “I think in that window they really need to convince Luka that he has a chance to contend year in and year out right here in Dallas. If they can’t get it done in that two-year window, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that he’s going to force a trade or ask for a trade. I’m just saying at that point if he’s not happy, he has all the leverage in the world if he would be looking to leave.”
It’s not inconceivable that Dallas doesn’t have the winning pieces it needs now. If Josh Green continues to play like the fringe lottery pick he was three summers ago, Tim Hardaway, Jr. continues shooting the daylights out of the ball, and Christian Wood somehow finds his way into the starting lineup, the Mavericks could be a tough beat offensively. When those four take the floor together, they are trouncing opponents with a plus-45.2 net rating.
It only makes sense — Doncic and Wood ignite their pick and roll, forcing help defenders to either collapse onto Wood or double Doncic, leaving Green and Hardaway to find open looks from deep.