The rumors are flying around, Twitter is already exploding at 8:00 am CST, and the Mavericks are actually involved in a lot of the hype. Today at 2:00 pm CST NBA Trade Deadline and the Mavericks are in hot pursuit of a deal for Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut.
Last night Mavs Insider Mike Fisher joined The Mavs Fanatic Podcast to discuss all of the rumors revolving around the Mavs. He reported that Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut had both been held out of practice and J.J. Barea later confirmed that report and affirmed that it was because of trade rumors. Fort-Worth Star Telegram reporter Dwain Price asked Barea about D-Will and Bogut’s absence at yesterday’s practice at the Mavs new facility.
Barea said the other #Mavs were told Bogut and DWill were not at practice today because they may get traded.
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) February 23, 2017
The trade rumors revolving around D-Will really began Tuesday with a report from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Marc Stein that the Utah Jazz were interested in bringing back the former All-Star.
The Cleveland Cavaliers name was brought up sometime earlier this week and David Lord of DallasBasketball.com believes the two clubs to be ‘deeply involved’ in trade talks for D-Will.
The big question became what can the Cavs offer the Mavs in return? A few names have floated around, mostly Iman Shumpert or Channing Frye, but Fisher revealed what the Mavericks really should value if a trade with the Cavs becomes reality.
Best thing you want, in simple 2-way, is #Cavs 2022 first-rounder https://t.co/1P6UpXAMcH
— mike fisher ✭ (@fishsports) February 23, 2017
That would be one of the most boring outcomes for a trade deadline deal. That pick wouldn’t convey for another five years. There are five drafts between now and then. Harrison Barnes will be 29 years old, Wes Mattews would be 35, and Dirk Nowitzki would be close to accepting Social Security.[note]He’d actually be 43 but close enough[/note] Why would the Mavericks want to even further delay the rebuild they have desperately needed for years?
Trades make NBA teams seem more and more like businesses. Barea even called the NBA “a business” in his earlier comments. If the Mavs are a business then Trade Deadline Day is when the Stock Market is at it’s highest participation. It’s an exciting day for NBA fans but NBA players become marginal and nothing more than items to be bought and sold like stock.
Even though that is an unfortunate outcome of today’s dealings[note]Pun Intended, shoot puns not guns[/note], the Mavericks need to be looking towards the future and discovering what kind of value they can get in a player with an expiring contract like Deron Williams that would pay dividends when he’s long gone.
That 2022 Cavaliers pick seems boring but take a closer look at the Cavs roster. Most notably, Lebron James will be almost as old as Dirk is right now (37). The Cavs are not going to be dominant forever; their window is actually closing. Owner Dan Gilbert, GM David Griffin, and the Cavaliers need to take advantage of the championship caliber team they have assembled now. The reason the Cavs are only able to trade a 2022 first round pick is because they have traded all of their available first rounders to try and acquire talent. The Collective Bargaining Agreement or CBA states that “teams are restricted from trading away future first-round draft picks in consecutive years.” This is actually a rule because of former Cavs Owner Ted Stepien, and this rule is known widely as the “Ted Stepien Rule” because he traded away too many picks and leveraged the Cavs future[note]Even giving the Lakers the pick that turned out to be the #1 overall pick and became James Worthy[/note].
The CBA has protected the Cavs from giving away their whole future again but the Mavs can still take advantage of their desperation. In almost direct response to the Warriors, Lebron James has been very vocal that the team needs ‘another playmaker.’ Deron Williams could absolutely be that playmaker.[note]He’s better than Mario Chalmers, that’s for sure[/note] In the past the Mavs have been buyers at the Trade Deadline, looking to acquire players like D-Will in order to make a playoff run. Now on the wrong side of the playoff picture, the Mavs have become sellers for the first time in a while.
That Cavs draft pick may seem boring and too far away to be worth it for the Mavericks timeline but what if Lebron is retired by then? Or if Lebron stays in the League too long and becomes what Kobe Bryant was last season. Kevin Love’s knees could have forced his retirement by then as well. Either way, Kyrie Irving could look at the roster and decide that he can win somewhere else. That draft pick could be what Boston has in the Brooklyn Nets 2017 first round pick, an incredible asset.
The bell has rung, the Stock Market Trading Floor is open for business, and the Mavs are in prime position to take advantage of the desperate buyers.
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