Getty Deandre Ayton guards Myles Turner
Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner and Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela have been named the Dallas Mavericks‘ top trade targets.
On August 28, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report wrote about why the Mavericks should target Ayton, Tuner and Capela.
“With Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving locked into this backcourt, the Mavs could really use an impact player at center—and they know it,” Buckley wrote. “They’ve been linked to both Ayton and Capela this summer, and Turner, who hails from nearby Bedford, has been a target of his hometown team in the past.
“You could argue if any would qualify as needle-movers on their own, but adding them to this specific roster could make that kind of difference. Dallas needs as much defensive resistance at the rim as it can get, plus the scoring guards would only get harder to handle with a top-shelf pick-and-roll (or pick-and-pop) partner added to the mix.”
Ayton averaged 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds for the Suns last season, Turner averaged 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks for the Pacers and Capela averaged 12.0 points and 11.0 rebounds for the Hawks.
“Capela seems available right now, as Atlanta appears (understandably) eager to see how Onyeka Okongwu would look in a starting role,” Buckley wrote. “Ayton and Turner have been trade candidates before and could certainly get there again. The Phoenix Suns might soon learn their depth issues weren’t solved by their plethora of minimum-money additions, while the Indiana Pacers could discover their young core isn’t quite ready for liftoff just yet.”
Mavericks Waive-And-Stretch JaVale McGee: Report
The Mavericks waived and stretched JaVale McGee on August 29. McGee appeared in 42 games for Dallas last season. He averaged 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 64.0% from the field and 58.5% from the free-throw line.
The three-time NBA champion signed a three-year, $17.2 million contract with the Mavericks last summer.
McGee has career NBA averages of 7.8 points and 5.2 assists in 863 games with the Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Suns.
Derrick Jones Jr. Considered Signing With Heat Before Joining Mavericks: Report
Derrick Jones Jr. considered signing with the Miami Heat before joining the Mavericks in free agency, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. Jones Jr. signed a one-year, $2.7 million contract with Dallas.
“Derrick Jones Jr., league sources say, gave consideration to signing with Miami before opting to ink a one-year veteran minimum deal with Dallas on Aug. 18,” Stein wrote on August 28.
Jones Jr. put up 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game for the Chicago Bulls last season while shooting 50.0% overall, 33.8% from 3 and 73.8% from the free-throw line. The lefty has career NBA averages of 6.3 points and 3.2 rebounds with the Suns, Heat, Portland Trail Blazers and Bulls.
The Mavericks won only 38 games last season. The team didn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament after making the Western Conference Finals in 2022. Dallas’ front office re-signed Kyrie Irving and Dwight Powell, signed Seth Curry, Dante Exum and Jones Jr. and acquired Grant Williams from the Boston Celtics and Richaun Holmes from the Sacramento Kings this summer.