Getty JaVale McGee #00 of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks may have the league’s fifth-best offense, but the team is exactly average in another area: three-point rate. It’s unsurprising, given that the offense features feast-or-famine shooters in Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Reggie Bullock.
According to Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney, the Mavs could look to upgrade their shooting by reuniting with a familiar face: Seth Curry. As on executive told Deveney, Dallas could offload out of favor big man JaVale McGee to facilitate the trade.
“Dallas is a spot because, again, they need shooting. The Mavs would like to dump JaVale McGee and he might be enough to get the Nets to make a move if they think he will fit their system more than he has in Dallas. The Mavs could put Frank Ntilikina in the deal and that would give the Nets more depth in two spots they need it,” the executive said.
Worried McGee and Ntilikina wouldn’t be enough to land one of the league’s most consistent three-point shooters? Guess again.
“[T]he Nets would move him because they’re worried he would be a defensive target in the playoffs. He is a free agent this summer, so they’re not going to get all that much back,” the executive opined.
Through 34 games this season, Curry is shooting 41.5% on about 4.5 threes per game. That’s a figure that likely isn’t going to change unless it goes up — Curry has never shot worse than 40% from deep in his career.
In his lone stint with the Mavericks, Curry shot 45% from deep on 5.5 attempts per game.
McGee’s Future in Dallas Cloudy
While Curry might be in demand, the same cannot be said for McGee. Though he was brought in to be the team’s starting five, he quickly fell out of favor with head coach Jason Kidd.
In November, Kidd officially benched McGee, choosing instead to experiment with Dwight Powell and Christian Wood in the starting five. Kidd eventually went with the latter, to strong results.
After the demotion, McGee admitted confusion over his benching.
Luka Doncic working on free throws at Mavericks shootaround.
“I don’t really have an understanding of when my minutes will come, but I’m a professional, so whatever my team feels we need to win.”
Though his time in Dallas might be coming to a close, his career as a basketball player might not be through just yet. He’d be a strong fit in Brooklyn, able to use his size to improve the league’s worst rebounding team.
Dinwiddie Sounds Off on Need for Luka Co-Star
Though Curry might be an excellent fit next to Luka Doncic, he doesn’t quite fit the mold of an All-Star running mate.
Which is perfectly okay, if you ask Spencer Dinwiddie. The Mavs point guard opened up about his own role in Dallas, arguing that he’s plenty of a star to play with Doncic.
Jason Kidd says that Dorian Finney-Smith will have to play more at the five with Christian Wood sidelined. JaVale McGee will “have to participate.” Josh Green is likely to receive more minutes with Wood out as well.
“The 5-foot-4 dude sitting on his couch saying I’m a bum or whatever… Listen, I want you to be a fan, I want you to buy jerseys and be invested. But like, I’ve averaged 20 points before. That’s not gonna phase me. It’s part of the game,” Dinwiddie told the Dallas Morning News.
While Dinwiddie is a solid player, his zero All-Star appearances and All-NBA team nods speak to his place in the league’s pecking order. On a team truly contending for the Finals, he’s probably a third option, hardly a number two.
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Mavericks Could ‘Dump’ McGee for Reunion With In-Demand Sharpshooter: Sources