Let’s Make a Deal! Dallas Mavericks Need the Trade Market

The Dallas Mavericks need to get back to their roots. They need to build a roster by the only means they’ve had success – through the trade market.

Building a roster through free agency has been a tough task for the Dallas Mavericks. Since blowing up the 2011 Championship team the Mavericks have failed in every attempt to lure max contract superstars to the city of Dallas.

Whether it’s Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, or DeAndre Jordan, the Mavs repeatedly were rebuffed (or betrayed) in their quest to add a superstar. Is there reason to think this will ever change? That’s rhetorical…

Of course we THOUGHT that changed this year when Jordan agreed and then un-agreed to join the Mavs. Nope. Banking on free agency is no way to reliably build a roster. Sure you can hit the jackpot but majority of the time, you lose. The Dallas Mavericks know this all too well.

As long as there is such a thing as a Max Contract, the Mavs will likely never hook the big fish. If the Mavs were allowed to actually outbid other teams, they may have a chance, but that’s not a rule likely to change anytime soon.

That’s why the best course of action is through the trade market. After all, the trade market was what once resurrected the dead franchise in the first place. Mark Cuban saw the value in “contracts” and started picking up good players with bad contracts.

Cuban and Donnie Nelson made a name for themselves by wheeling and dealing. As I’ve said before, if given the time, Cuban and Nelson could use a trade market to turn a bag of sand into a Porsche.

The salary cap is expected to explode next season when the new TV dollars kick in. Not coincidentally, superstar players have freed themselves to explore free agency at the exact same time. With the money, will come a newer and larger max contract.

Does this mean the Mavs can get one of those big fish?

If you’re wondering this, you clearly haven’t been paying attention.

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The Dallas Mavericks need to alter their approach. Think about it this way. Who do you think profited the most in the San Francisco Gold rush? It wasn’t the prospectors who were gambling against long odds, that’s for sure. It was the entrepreneurs selling the mining and camping equipment who profited. The Dallas Mavericks need this same approach.

Multiple teams have dreams of striking it rich in free agency the next couple seasons, and the Mavs need to take advantage of their naiveté. In a desire to clear money, teams will be willing to move talented players. The Mavs don’t have the muscle (or desire) to grab the really big Joe Johnson-type contracts, but they can start small and build from it.

It’s too early now to see exactly what some of those deals will be, but you can bet by winter, teams will start critically assessing their rosters, weighing their post-season chances, and moving some players.

Before free agency started, I lobbied for the Mavericks to actually re-sign Monta Ellis. Not because I think he’s a great player and/or worth the money, but because he’s a talented, and very tradeable, player.

The next two seasons we will see many teams acquiring contracts, and many teams dumping contracts. The movement promises to be intense. Ellis’ contract (and even We Matthew’s contract) may look big now, but in a year, it will be par for the course.

The NBA’s tit-for-tat trading rules, mean you need to trade equal valued contracts. Whether it’s a traditional trade, or a sign-and-trade, you need something to trade back. It’s too late for Monta but it’s not too late for the strategy.

The Mavs need to keep the phone close by this coming season because there will be deals to be made, and this is one area of basketball business, Donnie thrives in. Everyone on the Mavs’ roster (save Dirk) is available, and everyone else should be considered for acquisition.

Let’s make some deals!

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