Dallas Mavericks: 3 Difference-making free agents

Gordon Hayward, SG, Boston Celtics

Key Stats:
33.5 Minutes Per Game
17.5 Points Per Game
6.7 Rebounds Per Game
4.1 Assists Per Game
50% Field Goal Percentage
38.3% 3-pt Field Goal Percentage

Trade:
Boston Celtics Receive: Tim Hardaway Jr, Maxi Kleber

Dallas Mavericks Receive: Gordon Hayward

*I would like to preface this by saying Maxi Kleber leaving via trade give me aneurysm but I digress.*

It has now been three years since Hayward’s gruesome ankle injury and it looks like Hayward is inching closer to his All-Star level form. However, his career revival seemed to coincide with the development of players like Jaylon Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart. With the addition of Kemba Walker, the Boston Celtics actually had too many good players on their starting lineup.

A pretty basic trade that seems to match the money for both sides. Tim Hardaway Jr and Gordon Hayward would be playing this season on Player Options while Kleber would be in the second year of his four-year contract.

This trade also makes a lot of sense for both sides. For Boston, in exchange for Harward they get a 3-point shooter coming off a career-best year and a rim protector they oh so badly need. Dallas does lose an important member off the bench but instead gets a second ball-handler/playmaker outside of Luka Doncic.

The replacement of Hayward for Hardaway Jr would seem rather seamless in a starting lineup containing Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell, Kristaps Porzingis. The added length of Hayward could make the Mavs better defensively as all players would be taller than 6-feet-7 and have the ability to switch onto any position.

Offensively, the Mavs likely wouldn’t lose a step as Hayward was a 38 percent three-point shooter last season; 83.5 percent of his three-point attempts were assisted. These numbers aren’t too far off Tim Hardaway Jr’s 40 percent from the three-point line; 83.8 percent of his three-point shots were assisted.

Hayward has played in a motion offense with Boston so schematically he wouldn’t be a bad fit, and with head coach Rick Carlisle not opting for an equal-opportunity approach, it would allow Hayward to get more touches. This could help the Mavericks overall scoring efficiency as he took most of his shots (68.3 percent) near the basket and converted a healthy amount (55.3 percent).

All seems good for the Mavericks with the Hayward transaction; good chance Hardaway Jr and Kleber provide the Celtics with exactly what they need.