Dallas Mavericks Nearly Traded For NBA Champion, Recent Report Re-Affirms

The Dallas Mavericks nearly landed an NBA champion through trade last season.

Oct 10, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd reacts during the second half against the Utah Jazz at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The NBA season is more than 20 games into play, which means teams are beginning to understand what areas of weaknesses they have. The Dallas Mavericks have a 13-8 record and have won eight of their last nine games.

The Mavericks are really beginning to find their stride, and Luka Doncic's recent absence with an injury did wonders. There could still be a move in their cards by the trade deadline to slightly tweak the roster, however.

HoopsHype's Michael Scotto released the top trade candidates for the 2024-25 season. According to Scotto, the Mavericks' top trade candidate is Maxi Kleber. Later in the report, the reporter re-affirmed that the club nearly traded for Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma last season.

"The Dallas Mavericks nearly traded for Kuzma last season before pivoting to acquisitions of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford," Scotto wrote. "The Indiana Pacers were interested in Kuzma before swinging a blockbuster trade to acquire Pascal Siakam. The Sacramento Kings have also been linked to Kuzma for the past two seasons."

The Mavericks aren't the only team to have been linked to Kuzma via trade, and now even more teams are emerging as candidates, according to Scotto.

"Other teams who’ve kept tabs on Kuzma include the Bucks, Warriors, Lakers, Heat, and Cavaliers," Scotto added.

The Mavericks might not have landed Kuzma, but acquiring Washington and Gafford eventually led to an NBA Finals run, something that invoked confidence within the organization to pursue Klay Thompson this past offseason.

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READ MORE: How Mavericks Can Advance to Knockout Round of NBA Cup

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