NBA Rumors: The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor Reveals Top Three Offseason Trade Targets For Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks headed into the 2020 offseason with the goal of building a more competitive roster around franchise cornerstones Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. With their impressive performance in the 2019-20 NBA season, most people believe that the Mavericks are only one superstar away from being a legitimate title contender in the loaded Western Conference. Though free agency won’t be as star-studded as the previous offseason, there are plenty of big names that the Mavericks could target on the trade market this fall.
In his recent article, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer named the top three offseason trade targets for the Mavericks. These include Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers, and Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets.
“The Mavericks are looking all over for a secondary playmaking presence behind Luka Doncic; they’re chasing Indiana’s Victor Oladipo, Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie, and Chicago’s Zach LaVine.”
LaVine, Oladipo, and Dinwiddie would all be incredible acquisitions to the Mavericks. Of all those three, LaVine is currently the closest to being an All-Star. He would not only address their need for secondary playmaking, but also give them a very reliable third scoring option and an elite three-point shooter. Last season, LaVine averaged 25.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN. LaVine would nicely fit alongside Doncic since he’s capable of excelling in an off-ball capacity.
Meanwhile, trading for Oladipo would be a huge gamble for Dallas. He’s not just a possible one-year rental, but he’s also coming off a knee injury. However, when healthy, Oladipo would boost their performance on both ends of the floor. Aside from being a prolific scorer, Oladipo is also a decent perimeter defender. Sharing the court with a two-way player like Oladipo would allow Doncic to focus more on the offensive end of the floor. If things don’t go as they expected, the Mavericks could simply let him walk away and use the salary cap space to chase a superstar free agent in the summer of 2021.
Dinwiddie may be the least popular among the three, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that he couldn’t provide the same impact as LaVine and Oladipo. Mike Chiari of Bleacher Report believes that pairing Dinwiddie with Doncic and Porzingis would give Dallas a strong chance of reaching a higher level next season.
“Dinwiddie is the best pure playmaker among the players Dallas is reportedly interested in, and he is also arguably the most versatile player of the bunch, which could be attractive to a team looking to take the next step like the Mavericks.”
If they fail to acquire LaVine, Oladipo, or Dinwiddie, O’Connor thinks that the Mavericks would consider using the No. 18 pick to select Josh Green in the 2020 NBA Draft. Though he’s not a playmaker, Green would give Dallas a three-and-D wingman who could be tasked to guard the opposing team’s best perimeter player next year.
