Does Marcus Smart make sense for the Mavs?

Photo: Charles Krupa/Associated press

 

Tuesday evening when the hilarity that was the Gordon Hayward saga came to a conclusion, the rest of the association was allowed to resume doing its business as usual. One of the trickle down affects of  Hayward’s move to Beantown, was that Boston now has to facilitate deals to clear cap room for Hayward. With guys like Jaylon Brown, Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Avery Bradley in the fold, GM Danny Ainge has a tough choice to make.

Who will be the odd man out?

Well, according to Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript, that would be Marcus Smart.

Source says Boston has already begun contacting teams about picking up Marcus Smart.

— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) July 5, 2017

Now, nothing is set in stone. It could be anybody on the Celtics roster who ends up getting shown the door. However, if the reports are in fact true, what does that mean for the Mavericks?

Is Smart a fit? What would the Mavericks have to fork over to get him? 

These are all pertinent questions the Mavericks brain trust would consider before making a serious offer for Smart.

Why Should the Mavericks want him?

Marcus Smart is a “dawg.” It’s really is that simple. 

If the league decided to vote on an ‘All-Irritant’ team, he would surely receive votes. Which is understandable given his body of work. From the moment he checks into the game, to the moment he leaves it, he makes sure his presence is felt. He uses his burly 6’4, 225 pound frame to body up opposing ball handlers and pester them into turnovers. Exhibiting a defensive intensity that was a tone setter for the C’s all year. And I guarantee the Mavericks took notice. 

Why should they avoid him?

Offensively speaking, Marcus Smart is not a guy who is going to wow you with volume production. After all, His modest averages of 10.6 PPG, 4.6 APG, and 3.9 rebounds in 30 minutes a game this year is fairly pedestrian. As great a defender as he is, Usually Marcus Smart is a negative on the offensive end of the floor. He laid bricks to the tune of 28.3 percent from three this year. In fact, that was the worst mark in the league among qualifiers. However, he did have a couple offensive explosions. Such as a seven three, 27 point detonation in game three of this years Eastern conference finals. But hey, a dead clock is right twice a day, right?

All things considered, it seems this is what Marcus Smart is going to be. Weather it be his busted jumper, or his lack of offensive development over his three seasons, all signs point to Smart’s upside being capped out at 23. Of course, some would disagree that a 23 year old is done progressing, but it is rare to see a guy recover from such stagnant start to a career.

Where does he fit?

Considering his seemingly limited offensive upside, does he even fit this teams timeline? The Mavericks are in a state of rebuild. They’re looking for pieces who could be a viable parts of their developing young core. Does he fit that mold? Would his presence help or hinder young guards Dennis Smith and Yogi Ferrell’s development?

Considering the youth movement, and already existing stable of young guards, the Mavericks brass would have to be comfortable he could fall in line with the group already in place. 

What would it take to get him?

This is where things get tricky. 

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge is a notorious hoarder of assets and I don’t doubt for a second that he would try to swindle the Mavericks out of a pick if conversations were to take place. 

But who would have the leverage here? Is it the Mavericks, who would view this as a salary dump, and would want additional compensation for doing them a favor and absorbing Smarts cap hit? Or is it the Celtics, who would feel that they are giving  up a good young player and would want a pick back in return?

This is why, Generally speaking, trades are difficult. And given all these variables, this deal seams unlikely.

But where’s the fun in that? 

So you tell me Mavs fans…Does Marcus Smart make sense for Dallas?