Getty Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks have been on fire lately. They have won seven games in a row, led by Luka Doncic and a string of extremely impressive performances. He’s dropped 50 points in three of the seven games, including a miraculous 60-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double.
But despite his best efforts, it still seems as though the Mavericks could use some extra help to make a serious push for a title. Rumors have indicated Dallas’ interest in multiple stars, but according to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, one deal with the Chicago Bulls could make the most sense.
Mavericks receive: Zach LaVine, Coby White
Bulls receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, Reggie Bullock, Davis Bertans, 2027 1st-Round Pick
Adding LaVine (and White) to the mix would give Doncic more weapons to work with. And on top of that, LaVine would be able to take a ton of pressure off of Doncic on the offensive end.
“LaVine has no trouble finding shots for himself or his teammates. He was one of only four players to average 23 points and four assists in each of the past four seasons. He was also an 80th percentile finisher on isolations last season. Yet he’s just as potent—if not moreso—when moving off the ball. Last season, he splashed an absurd 46 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes while ranking among the 91st percentile on spot-up plays.
“Dončić is a visionary passer, but he’s only as good as his receivers allow him to be. Having a net-shredder like LaVine—and to a much (much) lesser extent, Coby White—would make Dončić’s passing attack that much more potent,” Buckley wrote.
The Bulls star has appeared in 33 of the team’s 37 games this year and is playing 35.1 minutes per contest. He’s averaging 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on 45.8% shooting from the field and 38.0% shooting from behind the three-point line.
Mavericks ‘Would Love’ to Make Alex Caruso Trade
LaVine isn’t the only player from the Bulls that the Mavericks have been connected to. There should be plenty of options for them on the trade market this year, and considering Chicago has struggled this season, they could be sellers at the deadline.
According to Michael Pina of The Ringer, the Mavericks “would love” to get their hands on Alex Caruso in a trade.
“The Nuggets already have Bruce Brown, but they also can’t surround Jokic with too many defensive-minded guards,” Pina wrote. “The Mavs would love having him [Caruso] (Jason Kidd coached Caruso in Los Angeles) and he fits on both ends next to Luka Doncic (just as he did with LeBron a few years ago).”
Bradley Beal Would Be Perfect for Mavericks
And even if the Mavericks were to get hell-bent on trading for a star, LaVine wouldn’t be the only player they could target. On his podcast show, The Old Man & The Three Things, JJ Redick said that Bradley Beal would be perfect next to Doncic.
“It’s just a matter of who would be available, and I like the idea of Bradley Beal a lot… It’s obviously gotta be somebody that’s comfortable playing off the ball,” Redick said. “Sort of oscillating between on the ball and off the ball, and most stars are ball dominant.”
He also stressed Beal’s ability to play off the ball.
“I think the interesting thing about Bradley Beal is his ability to sort of play off the ball as a cutter, coming off pin downs, spot up shooting, and then getting into ISO, pick and roll play so I think that’s sort of the optimal guy,” Redick explained.