NBA Rumors: Mavericks Should Target Andre Drummond Or Otto Porter Jr. Ahead Of Deadline, Per ‘Bleacher Report’
The Dallas Mavericks are seemingly stumbling out of the gate with an 8-10 record and failing to live up to expectations early on in the 2020-21 season. However, a recent article suggested that the team could address its biggest weaknesses by targeting one of two players — Andre Drummond of the Cleveland Cavaliers or Otto Porter Jr. of the Chicago Bulls — ahead of the March 25 trade deadline.
As explained on Friday by Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, the Mavericks have been one of the NBA’s poorest rebounding teams so far, placing third-to-last in total rebound percentage and second-to-last in contested rebounding percentage. However, Drummond happens to play for the current leader in the latter statistical category and is also the NBA’s top rebounder with an average of 14.7 per game. He is also one of the Cavaliers’ leading contributors in other categories, with averages of 18.9 points, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks.
As for Dallas’ weakness from the outside, Swartz pointed out that the Mavericks’ acquisition of Josh Richardson for Seth Curry appears to be the main reason why they dropped from 10th in three-point shooting in the 2019-20 campaign to 30th out of 30 teams in the current season. As such, he recommended Porter as a player who could improve the club’s performance from beyond the arc, considering how he has converted on 47.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-point attempts for the Bulls.
Additionally, Porter has played solidly overall as Chicago’s starting small forward, producing 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and two assists per game after an injury-riddled 2019-20 where he missed most of the season.
As Drummond and Porter are both making more than $28 million in 2020-21 on expiring contracts, Swartz suggested that the Mavericks could match salaries by trading two of their veteran role players — Dwight Powell and James Johnson. The Bleacher Report writer added that both sides in either one of the hypothetical deals would need to decide on whether Dallas should include additional players or draft picks.
The two aforementioned veterans are not the only possible targets that have been recommended for the Mavericks in the event they choose to shake things up to improve the supporting cast around top stars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. As proposed earlier this week, the team could also make a move for Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, who is also on an expiring contract. Likewise, Johnson and Powell were mentioned as possible salary-matching trade chips, though the hypothetical offer also included backup point guard Jalen Brunson and a future second-round selection.
