Mavericks: Keeping Justin Anderson Was Right Call

The Dallas Mavericks reportedly received decent offers for rookie Justin Anderson, but the franchise wisely decided to hold on to the future.

The Dallas Mavericks, as widely predicted, did nothing to change their roster ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. This certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying, but there simply wasn’t a move that could be made that would have improved this team in either the short or long term.

With little in the way of assets to work with, rookie shooting guard/small forward Justin Anderson garnered interest from at least one team that reportedly offered a mid-first round pick, according to Dallas Morning News. Similar considerations were offered for young teammate Dwight Powell, who had a fine performance in the Rising Stars game in Toronto during All-Star weekend.

To begin with, the Mavericks are in the market for as much youth as they can get their hands on. A team that has generally relied on veterans to remain competitive, Dallas has reached an interesting cross-road in its history. This intersection offers a sign that shows that future contention can only be found by going in a different direction.

The idea that more veteran talent can be brought in to surround future Hall of Fame power forward Dirk Nowitzki is misguided for a couple of reasons.

First off, the team isn’t good enough to create interest from NBA free-agent heavyweights from around the league, a fact that will likely be illustrated once again during an offseason that will surely arrive sooner than later for the Mavericks.

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Second, Dallas, at least for right now, has plenty of money already invested in potential future stars like small forward Chandler Parsons and shooting guard Wesley Matthews. At least until the frenzy begins this summer, there’s little that the Mavericks can do without letting those two pieces go.

With the free-agent market basically unavailable to most of the league, the NBA draft is where new talent has to be found. Anderson represents a recent acquisition via that avenue with which to regain contention down the road – but the key phrase here is down the road.

What would the Mavericks have gained by picking up an additional first-round pick outside the top three selections?

Not very much.

Even grabbing two of these picks at the expense of their developing youth would place the franchise right where it was over most of the last year, this being the time frame that the Mavericks acquired both Powell and Anderson.

In Anderson, the Mavericks have a young player who stands 6’6” and weighs in at about 230 pounds. He’s got legs, a good shot and also possesses the build to bring a presence near the rim against taller and heavier players. His defensive ability could end up being quite good.

Beyond the physical attributes, Anderson sounds like exactly the kind of guy that head coach Rick Carlisle wants on his roster. Anderson isn’t ‘too big’ for the game, a mindset that poisons many young athletes who enter the professional ranks of basketball. Clear is the fact that Anderson’s goal growing up was to play basketball in the NBA, not make it rain in some night club with his entourage of poor influences. He comes from the right fabric to succeed both in life and also on the basketball court.

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Keep guys like Anderson around. They don’t grow on trees, even if they’re about as tall as a tree.

The Mavericks could look like a very different team as early as next season, a trend that’s actually transpired annually since the unforgettable NBA Finals victory in 2011. But one thing that should remain the same is the presence of a soon-to-be second-year veteran named Justin Lamar Anderson.

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