Dallas Mavericks: Trading Bogut Is Not Tanking the Season

For the Dallas Mavericks, trading center Andrew Bogut is good for both the short-term as well as the long-term.

Despite residing in the Western Conference basement for most of the 2016-17 season, the Dallas Mavericks still hold out hope for a playoff spot. And why not? The eighth and final playoff spot in the west is only about four games away.

The playoffs seem absurd but they are far from a mathematical long-shot and are only one good stretch of basketball away from reality. So why all the talk of tanking?

Tanking, a not-so-popular strategy perpetually employed by the team in Philadelphia, is frowned upon in most circles. Not only does it violate the most basic integrity of the game but it teaches bad lessons to players and loses a fanbase in the process.

Since tanking is about as marketable as Mariah Carey , it’s something Mark Cuban wants to avoid at all costs. But when we’re being honest with ourselves, what good would the #8 seed be to the Dallas Mavericks anyways?

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It’s not like the Mavs have a chance at upsetting a team like the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs in playoff series. The top of the conference is simply operating at an entirely different level than the riffraff below.

But while a total liquidation of assets may not be the answer, neither is standing pat and doing nothing. The Mavs can continue to play to win, develop their youth, and better position themselves for next season. All at the same time.

Trade Andrew Bogut.

This is hardly out-of-the-box thinking these days. From the first month of the season on, Mavs Nation has been clamoring to move the oft-injured rent-a-center. Bogut just never fit in with this team and with multiple injuries keeping him sidelined, he likely never will.

Seven foot centers are a valuable thing in the NBA and Andrew Bogut is no different. The Dallas Mavericks could easily find a team willing to part with a protected first rounder and/or a high-potential developmental player for Bogut.

The funny thing is the Mavs are a better team without him anyway. With Salah Merji, Dwight Powell, and even Dirk Nowitzki manning the five, the Mavs play like a much better team. In fact, coach Rick Carlisle has been preferring to roll with a smaller lineup. His starting unit of Dirk, Deron Williams, Seth Curry, Wesley Matthews, and Harrison Barnes has been finding success as of late.

Andrew Bogut never really found his fit and now he’s not even a good option in the starting lineup once he returns.

Next: Is it time to trade Deron Williams?

By trading Andrew Bogut the Dallas Mavericks could improve their team both this season AND next season. Tanking a season is franchise suicide but trading Bogut at the deadline is the exact opposite of tanking.

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