Getty Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets.
The NBA trade deadline is still a couple of days away, but the Dallas Mavericks have made the biggest splash thus far. Dallas traded for Kyrie Irving after he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. However, they may not be done yet.
According to Doc Louallen of the NBA and the NBA App, the Mavericks are interested in a potential deal for Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton.
“The Dallas Mavericks are interested in acquiring Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton. Christian Wood & Tim Hardaway Jr. have been in trade talks. #NBA,” Louallen tweeted.
Shipping out Wood and Hardaway would be a massive change for the Mavericks, as those two players have played huge roles for them this year. They both rank in the top six players on the team in terms of minutes per game this season.
Wood is in the final year of his deal and is eligible for a contract extension, while Hardaway has two more seasons left on his deal and makes roughly $17 million per year. Trading both of them could give the Mavericks some cap flexibility, even with Ayton coming back in the trade.
Plus, it would form a new Big 3 in Dallas – Doncic, Irving, and Ayton. With the guard play of Doncic and Irving, and Ayton anchoring the defense down low, the Mavericks would have a good shot at making a deep playoff run similar to the one they went on last season.
After Dallas traded away Dorian Finney-Smith in the deal for Irving, adding defense should have become their top priority. And although Wood is a great player, Ayton would be a significant defensive upgrade over him. Plus, at just 24 years old, Ayton is roughly three years younger than the 27-year-old Wood.
Mavericks Previously Linked to Deandre Ayton
This isn’t the first time the Mavericks have been linked to a potential deal for Ayton. During an appearance on Zach Lowe’s The Lowe Post podcast, Tim MacMahon of ESPN said that Dallas could go after Ayton. However, he did note that it would be more of a “down-the-road” thing, which conflicts with Louallen’s reporting.
“Well, Deandre Ayton is certainly interesting, and he can veto any trade this year because he signed that extension,” MacMahon said. “I don’t know that there’s a very long list of places that he would veto. I think that it’s reasonable to assume, based on the way things played out this summer, some of the comments he made, that he might not see Phoenix as his long-term home. And certainly, he wanted to go to [the] Indiana [Pacers]. So, whether that happens now or not, I don’t know. It is interesting. He’s a name that I’ve heard around the Mavericks. And again, I think that would have to be a later than right now type of situation.”
Mavericks Looking to Trade Tim Hardaway Jr.
One thing that does stand out in Louallen’s reporting is the potential inclusion of Hardaway. According to Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News, the Mavericks are looking to move on from the veteran wing.
“Dallas has discussed options to move Tim Hardaway Jr., multiple people familiar with the Mavericks’ approach pre-Irving said.
“Though he can boost the offense when in a shooting rhythm, Hardaway’s contract is viewed as a long-term investment that doesn’t justify his streaky high-volume production while limiting the Mavericks’ future financial flexibility,” Caplan wrote.