Mavericks Trade Rumors: To Trade Or Not To Trade?

Dallas Mavericks trade rumors remain plentiful as the NBA trading deadline rapidly approaches on Thursday at 3pm EST.

Regardless of what you might hear or read, the Dallas Mavericks are doing the right thing in remaining very quiet as the NBA trading deadline approaches. Not that anything is certain as of now, but it doesn’t appear that owner Mark Cuban is going to pull the trigger on any blockbuster trades that would aim to change the course for the Mavericks this season.

I’ve read rumors surrounding a number trades that the Mavericks could make, but all are completely hypothetical and only good for hits on websites. Further, anything on a larger scale, similar or greater than last season’s Dwight Powell trade (Rajon Rondo was the actual carrot), would gut the Mavericks of any and all resources they have. This means getting much slimmer at positions of depth and obviously losing any and all youth for the future.

Players like Powell and Justin Anderson, last year’s first-round selection in the NBA draft, need to be kept, period. The Mavericks have a horrible track record where drafting and cultivating young talent is concerned, and perhaps last year’s awful trade for Rondo is a lesson for the team moving forward.

In addition to Rondo, I would even offer DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers as another reason why relying solely on veterans isn’t the best way to go in all cases. Sure, you could fetch a Tyson Chandler, Chandler Parsons or even Jason Kidd, from time to time, but the league now shows that drafting talent is what can create a winner.

The San Antonio Spurs and the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors are literally running away with the NBA this season. Sad is the fact that both reside in the Western Conference and cannot play in the NBA Finals. These two teams have a combined 12 losses this season – neither has lost a game at home.

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Where Golden State is concerned, reigning league MVP Stephen Curry is a huge reason for th9is franchise’s success, but he’s also surrounded by other home-grown players that round out the near-invincible machine that the Dubs have become. Also in this highly volatile mix that has Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich entranced is Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.

Curry was a seventh-overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft. Green was a second-round selection in 2012 selection meeting and Thompson an 11th-overall pick less than two weeks after the Mavericks won their first NBA title in 2011.

San Antonio, perhaps the best overall franchise in the league since drafting Tim Duncan last century, has literally re-invented itself for the future, in large part, with the drafting of Kawhi Leonard, the 15th-overall pick in the same 2011 draft that immediately followed the Mavs’ title almost five years ago.

See the trend here?

Powell was a standout over the NBA All-Star weekend during the NBA Rising Stars game. Not that this contest is anything to be taken seriously, but it’s worth noting that Powell notched a double-double and had a couple of nice dunks in the matchup of league youngsters that illustrate what Powell’s athleticism brings to the table.

No, the Mavericks aren’t exactly the most athletic team on the block, nor are they the youngest.

Therefore, gutting the team of both draft picks and young players in exchange for some fading big name, like Dwight Howard of the Houston Rockets, will make little to no difference regarding the future of the Mavericks.

At the very least, consider the reality that a guy named Dirk Nowitzki was not a trade acquisition, but rather a first-round draft pick taken ninth-overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, then humorously traded immediately to the Mavericks for Robert Traylor.

But, in case you’re one of the many who are holding your breath for something big to happen prior to the deadline, here’s a look at what’s bouncing around cyberspace.

Mavericks Trade Rumors Before Deadline

ESPN Suggests Anthony For Parsons Trade (The Smoking Cuban – Isaac Harris)

Possibly the only Mavericks trade rumor that might make some sense, Harris discusses ESPN’s suggested trade for Carmelo Anthony via Chandler Parsons in a huge, multi-team trade that would absolutely gut the Mavericks down the stretch.

Everything About Mavs Near Trade Deadline (Mavs Moneyball – Rebecca Lawson)

Need a scenario, idea, or anything else to ponder as the trade deadline approaches? Lawson takes a close look at numerous possibilities.

Next: Mavericks: Howard Unlikely To play In Big D

Breaking Down Possible Mavericks Moves (Dallas Morning News)

From Kevin Martin to Kevin Love, Joe Johnson to Kenneth Faried, there’s plenty of meaningless Mavericks trade rumors to be speculated on right here.