Dallas Mavericks: Should the Mavericks trade Dennis Smith Jr?

The Dallas Mavericks may need to make some big moves in order to get this roster back on track. Dennis Smith Jr is their most valuable asset.

The Dallas Mavericks are currently 15th in the NBA Western Conference standings and while there is still time to improve this is beginning to look like a lost season for the Mavericks. With another top-five pick (likely) on the way, Dallas could look to add a king’s ransom for their young rookie sensation, Dennis Smith Jr.

Think about it, DSJ is wanted by most teams and has been seen as the best rookie point guard in the NBA. Now players like that are hard to find but the Mavericks desperately need to make a change.

If the Mavericks can find a way to bolster several areas of need on this roster, the team could take some big steps in 2018. Now DSJ, in my opinion, is a franchise player, he will grow into a star point guard in this league with the right pieces around him.

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The problem is that the Dallas Mavericks do not have a whole lot of pieces anyway. If you look at tradeable assets for Dallas, DSJ, Nerlens Noel, and Harrison Barnes are the only players that really come to mind.

It would be impossible to trade Dirk Nowitzki at this point considering his age and production this season. Wesley Matthews or Seth Curry could make interesting trade bait but the main targets for most teams will be the youngest stars on the Mav’s roster. Barnes has not reached his full potential yet and has had some dominant nights so far this season.

He may not be as consistent as the Mavericks would like however in time he could be a very productive big man for this team. Noel is as good as gone and the best that the Dallas Mavericks could get for him would seemingly be a second-round pick.

Trading DSJ just anywhere would not make a whole lot of sense (especially if he is a player that can help lure Lebron James over to Dallas) but trading him to the right destination could be a pretty big victory for the organization.

Teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, and Cleveland Cavaliers could be particularly interested. The Clippers have a need at the point guard position, and with a full rebuild likely to occur, the team could invest in a talented rookie point guard.

Currently, Patrick Beverley and Austin Rivers are the options at the point guard position and while DSJ may not be as good of a defenseman as Beverley is right now he will continue to grow into the position.

If the Mavericks could somehow land one of the Clippers point guards and DeAndre Jordan, plus potentially a pick, that move could go a long way in making the Dallas Mavericks a competitive western conference team once again.

If not the Clippers there are always the San Antonio Spurs who will be looking for a new point guard next season. With Tony Parker getting up there in terms of age and Patty Mills lacking the consistency to be a star, the Dallas Mavericks have an asset the Spurs will need. Unless you could swing a deal for Kawhi Leonard, it would be tough to see any deals going down with the Spurs.

Indiana is an interesting option as that team is also incredibly unbalanced and not powerful enough to compete on a bigger level. The Pacers would have to give up a lot of picks, their current starter in Victor Oladipo along with some other pieces before the Dallas Mavericks would even consider making a deal with them.

The last team on this list could be the Cleveland Cavaliers but we have no idea what Lebron will desire to do when his contract is up. If he wants to stay in Cleveland but wants a hand in rebuilding this roster than a deal will have to be made.

As it stands now, the Cavaliers do not look powerful enough to take on their west coast counterparts (Golden State Warriors). Landing the best rookie point guard while creating some cap space to add another max player would not be a bad idea for Cleveland.

Next: Playoff scenarios for Dallas

The tradeable asset that would work in this deal would have to be a combination of Isaiah Thomas, and either Tristan Thompson or Kevin Love. The Dallas Mavericks will have to do a lot of thinking about where they want to be as a franchise in a years time because their current crop of players might not be able to cut it.