Trade Deadline Series: Mavs Player Value – Brandan Wright

Welcome to the sixth installment of our series, in which we are looking at each Mavericks player and their value on the trade market with other teams. Be sure to check back every day as we count down towards the trade deadline.

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Brandan Wright

What’s the value of the former lottery pick that has proven he can star in a reserve role?

Salary:

$5,000,000

Age:

26 years 4 months

Season Stats:

9.6 PPG – 4.3 RPG – 0.5 APG

Potential: 

Could be a starter (with the improvement he’s shown) on a playoff caliber team. Isn’t likely to ever have an offense run through him. Can also be a great help off the bench for a championship contending team.

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Trade Value:

Re-signed to a two-year, $10 million contract ( after a strong performance in the final 24 games of last season in which he averaged 11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and .578 percent shooting from the field). Wright will be paid $5 million in 2013-14. Wright emerged as a somewhat of a lock (throughout NBA circles) to get a bigger contract in free agency. While he was flirting with other teams, he proved to be committed to staying with the Mavs. He was patient through the process as he knew the Mavs would be able to go over the cap to sign him with Early Bird rights. As the Mavs continued to get to the salary cap number, he easily could have signed with another team, but he stayed with the Mavs as they gave him a fresh start after the early portion of his career. With job security and momentum from last season, Wright seemed poise for another great season. That was somewhat hindered early on as Wright suffered from a fractured shoulder and didn’t play his first game until December 14. Wright however, picked up right where he left off, dropping 19 points and 6 rebounds in his season debut. He has cooled off a bit but is still putting up a respectable 10 points per contest. At 26, the versatile big man still has a bit of time to develop and grow his game. The Mavs had Brandon Bass and Ian Mahinmi develop in their system only to see them depart. They decided Wright was too good to let go. Wright was thought to play heavy minutes at the backup Center position but with the emergence of DeJuan Blair, it has allowed Coach Carlisle to allow Wright to space out and play 10-15 feet from the basket (his improved jump shot has allowed for this transition). Wright is also putting up way better numbers then you think. Adjusted for the average 40 minute MPG scale, Wright w=is averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds a game per 40 minutes, basically if he were to be getting starter minutes he would be a near 20-10 a night post player (a rarity in the NBA now). Wright has made the most of his situation and he has established himself as a player that can hold his own in the NBA in a big picture perspective. Wright could probably be starting on most of the bottom feeder NBA squads this year. Trade value wise Wright seems like a major asset. Not only can he hit a nice pick and pop jump shot, he can also take the ball in and throw down the rock. Wright is one of the more eclectic dunkers in the league, having a measured vertical of 32 inches this past summer. This can be very attractive to buyers, as they could take care of an offensive and athleticism problem with one trade for Wright. The Mavs could easily shop Wright to a contending team in need of an Athletic big man (such as Indiana, the Clippers or even San Antonio). With the Mavs likely taking back a contract in exchange for Wright ( to make any of those teams keep their salary cap limit low) they Mavs have the upper hand in also demanding a first round pick or a young foreign prospect that could eventually come to the league.

With Wright being such a productive, cheap, and young big, the Mavs have one of their bigger assets in him. The team could be looking to move him this year, but if that doesn’t work out, his contract will be up in 2015, making an expiring Wright deal next year even more appealing than this year. If Wright does indeed stick with the Mavs past the trade deadline, it doesn’t put Wright in the clear trade wise. With his continued production expect to see Wright’s name in the rumor mill for months to come. If not, the Mavs certainly have proven that they can use him as a solid backup to superstar Dirk Nowitzki.

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Days until trade deadline: 5 days

Stay tuned!