The Dallas Mavericks have a little over four weeks to make any necessary additions or subtraction to the roster with the hopes of another deep postseason run.
Will the Mavs hunt for a Luka Doncic co-star? Will they try to get off of Davis Bertans‘ contract? Will they hunker down with what limited trade and draft assets they have left, with an eye on summer free agency?
All of these questions (and several more) will likely be raised, answered, speculated about, and then put right back through the grinder over these next few weeks. Fortunately, we’ve already got the answer to one trade-deadline question: why might Dallas trade for?
According to Yahoo’s Jake Fischer, the Mavericks are interested in acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic of the Detroit Pistons. But Bogdanovic’s list of suitors is a long one that includes the Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Lakers.
“At this juncture, the Pistons are seeking at least one first-rounder and either a young player with upside or additional draft capital, sources said, plus Cleveland has company in Dallas, Phoenix and the Lakers, among other teams in pursuit of (Bojan) Bogdanovic,” Fischer wrote.
Bogdanovic is having a career year for the lowly Pistons, averaging 21.1 points on 42% from three. With a career hit-rate at 39% from deep, there’s also little indication this season is an outlier, making him an ideal addition to a playoff-bound team.
But at 33, he’s also the odd (read: old) man out on a young Pistons team that features young stars in Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
Can Mavs Pull Off a Deal for Bogdanovic?
In an ideal world, Dallas could ship off this year’s 2023 first-round pick to Detroit. However, Dallas’ first-rounder is already owed to the New York Knicks, the final remnants of the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
It’s also hard to foresee which young player Dallas would part with to land Bogdanovic’s services. Josh Green, a third-year guard, is having his best season yet in a Mavericks jersey, and according to Tim Cato of The Athletic, the Mavericks think highly of Green, so much so that he might be untradeable for Dallas.
Klay made some good recoveries on Bojan Bogdanović all night, but the guy is just a tough shotmaker through and through
“[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,” Cato wrote.
Perhaps Jaden Hardy could be moved? But if anything, Kemba Walker‘s release on Friday suggests that Dallas intends to feature more of the former top high-school recruit and current rookie. Does Frank Ntilikina, a former lottery pick and decent-enough defender, move the needle?
But there’s one young player that Dallas could throw Detroit’s way, especially if recent reports are correct.
Could Dallas Use Christian Wood in Potential Trade?
Could the Mavericks look to move on from Christian Wood who is still relatively young (27) and on an expiring deal?
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavs are weary about signing Wood to the four-year, $77 million deal he is eligible for this summer. And if the two sides can’t reach an agreement that rests somewhere in the middle, Dallas is “widely expected” to shop Wood this season.
Luka Doncic on relationship with Christian Wood: “He doesn’t get mad at me when sometimes I yell at him, and that’s what I appreciate. … Sometimes it’s hard to be with me on the court probably. I just want to win. He appreciates that, he never gets mad. … It’s working great.”
Wood’s contract is an expiring one, making it an ideal additive for a potential trade. That said, Wood and Doncic have played well together this season: lineups featuring the two have a plus-6.5 net rating, per Cleaning The Glass.
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