Mavs Trade Rumors: Buy or Sell?
The Dallas Mavericks are reportedly looking to add another defensive-minded wing before this year's trade deadline. Some names being connected to Dallas are more realistic than others.
NEW ORLEANS – With just over three weeks remaining until the NBA trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks are doing their best to keep their heads above water in a stacked Western Conference without their two injured stars, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. As we approach the halfway point of the NBA regular season, Dallas is clinging to the No. 6 seed in the West with a 22-18 record, losing eight of its last 11 games.
Typically, trade rumors are flying this time of year, but so far, at least for the Mavs, the rumor mill has been quiet. Below, we’ll look at some of the players Dallas has been linked to in trade rumors and determine the validity of each one by placing a “buy” or “sell” label on them.
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Jimmy Butler
This rumor has been the loudest for the Mavs, at least regarding how much speculation followed it. In December, ESPN’s Shams Charania named the Mavs as one of the teams Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler would be open to joining before the trade deadline.
“The Heat are open to dealing Butler if the trade proposal is right, according to league sources, and Butler's agent, Bernie Lee, expressed in league circles that he was open to the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Suns,” Charania wrote.
Even at 35, Butler is still a more-than-solid player, averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists while shooting 55.2 percent overall and 37.5 percent from deep. The 14-year veteran still plays ultra-aggressive defense, and he’s proven to be a playoff riser in the past, having carried the No. 8 seed Heat to the NBA Finals in 2023.
Would Butler be a good fit for the Mavs? We believe so. Do we buy that he’s interested in coming to Dallas? Of course. Who wouldn’t want to join Doncic and Irving on a quest to get back to the finals and win it this time? However, at the end of the day, the Mavs would have to give up way too much in a trade due to Butler making $48.8 million this season. Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall–some combination of those players would have to be put together in a trade to get Butler to Dallas, and for that reason, we’re selling hard on the idea of this rumor materializing.
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Kyle Kuzma
Before last season’s deadline, Washington Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma had the opportunity to join the Mavs via trade, but he declined. The 29-year-old forward didn’t believe Dallas fit his timeline due to the team not being a title contender (Mavs fans get mad at Kuzma for feeling that way, but he wasn’t wrong at the time). Kuzma missed out, though, as the Mavs ended up trading for Washington and Gafford before making a valiant run to the NBA Finals.
As the great Michael Scott once said, “Well, well, well… how the turn tables.”
One season later, Kuzma’s thoughts on the Mavs have apparently changed, with NBA insider Jake Fischer saying the versatile veteran now “has a lot of interest in going to Dallas.”
Again, like with Butler, Kuzma’s salary poses a problem, but it’s certainly more doable. The easiest way to make a Mavs-Wizards trade involving Kuzma coming to Dallas would be to send Maxi Kleber, Gafford–who was acquired from the Wizards last year–and one end-of-the-roster player to D.C. Would the Mavs be willing to break up what is arguably the best big-man duo in the league in Gafford and Lively to bolster their versatile wing depth? We don’t see it happening, but we certainly buy this particular scenario more than the Butler one.
After all, Kuzma would probably be a more valuable player than Gafford in the postseason due to his defensive versatility and ability to stretch the floor. We’ll see if Dallas pursues this trade option or if Kuzma develops another bad case of FOMO.
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Herb Jones
According to a recent report from The Athletic, the Mavs’ main focus ahead of the trade deadline is adding another “impact defender” to their roster.
"The New Orleans Pelicans’ Herb Jones, who last season was the only non-center to make the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team, is one player who fits that description,” Christian Clark wrote. “But there is little belief in NBA circles that the Pelicans will actually move him.”
Since that report was published, Herb Jones has suffered a torn labrum that could keep him off the court for the rest of this season. Even though Jones will be out for a while, I think this is the potential trade that would excite me the most for the Mavs. This is the kind of move where you can justify offering Gafford and draft compensation.
After shooting a career-best 41.8 percent from 3-point range last season, Jones has regressed to just 30.6 percent this season so far. However, one thing Dallas is able to do is improve players’ shooting from deep–just ask Spencer Dinwiddie and P.J. Washington.
Although the belief around the league is that the Pelicans won’t trade Jones, we’re actually going to buy this “rumor,” if you can even call it that. This is the kind of move Nico Harrison has proven he’s capable of pulling off. People didn’t think the Mavs could turn Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a pick into Washington, and yet Nico made it happen.
In what is going to be a stacked 2025 NBA Draft, perhaps a trade package of Daniel Gafford, Olivier-Maxence Proser, and a 2025 unprotected first-round pick could entice the lottery-bound Pelicans to part with their injured All-NBA defender. Even if Jones is out for the rest of the year, this could be a savvy move that would set Dallas up well for the years to come.
Stay tuned to Mavs Step Back for LIVE coverage from New Orleans as the Mavs look to bounce back from two brutal, back-to-back losses against the Denver Nuggets. Dallas takes on the Pelicans at 7 p.m. CT at the Smoothie King Center.