Mavs Say ‘No’ to Lottery-Pick Trade, Chasing Blazers C.J. McCollum?

The Dallas Mavericks have been linked to Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum as a potential trade suitor.

DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks are in a favorable position as the trade deadline nears. They hold a 30-23 record on the season and are just two games back from having homecourt advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. 

The emphasis surrounding the Mavericks has been largely placed on the pending free agency of Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith as of late. 

Dallas has made clear they want to retain both players—requiring a 'shocking' trade offer for Brunson and having turned down a late lottery pick in trade talks for Finney-Smith. Could the Mavericks look to get aggressive?

There are a few routes the Mavericks can go using the trade deadline if they seek to add a difference-making talent at the trade deadline. Among them would be to survey the league for teams looking to clear future salary cap space. 

The LA Clippers seized the opportunity to acquire Norman Powell and Robert Covington from the Portland Trail Blazers given their desire to clear salary cap room and opportunity for Anfernee Simons, who is in the midst of a breakout season.

In speaking of the Trail Blazers, there has been growing attention placed on the possibility of Portland moving on from CJ McCollum either at the trade deadline, or even in the offseason, as reported by HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.

"With the emergence of Simons and the selling off of veterans like Powell and Covington, rival executives around the league believe the Trail Blazers will move CJ McCollum by the trade deadline or this offseason as Portland continues to reshape its roster around franchise star Damian Lillard," Scotto reported. 

Included in Scotto's report was mention of the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks both being among teams that are expected to pursue a trade for McCollum. 

"Several teams, including the New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, and others, are expected to have interest in trading for McCollum, who is owed $69.13 million over the next two seasons," Scotto wrote.

Various NBA insiders have linked the Pelicans to McCollum as the trade deadline has approached. New Orleans has the option of moving Jonas Valanciunas and Josh Hart in order to help Portland fill holes around Damian Lillard and Simons.

While New Orleans is limited on offering their own picks for the next few seasons due to various trades they've completed, they do have future picks from the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks to use to bolster an offer. 

There is added pressure for the Pelicans to succeed in the short-term to keep Zion Williamson content. After a 3-16 start to the season, New Orleans has since gone 17-16 and are just a half game back from the Trail Blazers for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. 

The potential for the Pelicans to add a shot creator and playmaker in the backcourt like McCollum to pair with Williamson and Brandon Ingram is an intriguing outcome that would help them to make noise after Williamson returns.

The center position is one that Portland could benefit from addressing in return for McCollum given Jusuf Nurkic is set to reach unrestricted free agency. Larry Nance Jr., who is under contract in 2022-23, hasn't made a positive impact at the five. Valanciunas would be a strong upgrade as a result. 

In terms of fielding a potential trade offer from the Mavericks' perspective, there appears to be a few options. Portland has no reason to have interest in Tim Hardaway Jr. given they just moved Powell in addition to Hardaway Jr.'s injury. The simplest outcome would be if the Trail Blazers held interest in acquiring Kristaps Porzingis.

Perhaps the next best option for the Mavericks would be the 'spare parts' approach if Portland had interest in any of their roe players to help fill their supporting cast. Players like Dwight Powell, Reggie Bullock, and Maxi Kleber could help to fill the gaps as short-term options. 

With the Trail Blazers' desire to use an aggressive defensive scheme under coach Chauncey Billups, it requires mobility and athleticism from the center position. Dwight Powell has limitations overall but could perhaps be of benefit to Portland and will be in the final-year of his deal next season. 

As for Bullock and Kleber, both players can convert catch-and-shoot attempts at a high-clip while being capable of providing quality defensive contributions. Those types of role players are key to have and would fit in nicely alongside Portland's backcourt. It does help that Kleber's $9 million salary in 2022-23 if non-guaranteed.

There would need to be added value provided by the Mavericks in a 'spare parts' approach. Kleber's contract being a mechanism to clear cap space adds value to his inclusion in a trade package for the Trail Blazers. However, neither Bullock nor Powell are necessarily exceeding their contract value. 

The main young player the Mavericks could throw into an offer is Josh Green, but again, the team-by-team perception of prospects tends to vary based on preferences of a respective front office. Marquese Chriss, who is signed for just under $2.2 million for next season could perhaps be appealing for added depth. 

If the Pelicans were willing to part with Jonas Valanciunas and Josh Hart to land McCollum, both of those players present more impact than a potential return from the Mavericks. Where would added value come from Dallas to field a more attractive offer? 

Where Dallas is limited is in the draft capital department. They are unable to move a first-round pick until either 2027 or 2028 given the protections on the 2023 first-round pick they sent to the New York Knicks extends through 2025. 

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

There is also guard overlap with Jalen Brunson for the Trail Blazers and he is set for a big payday, too. Meanwhile, Dorian Finney-Smith is due for a considerable raise in the offseason, too. Portland's perception of those options likely would not be as favorable as other front offices given their priorities. 

There will be other suitors interested in acquiring CJ McCollum beyond the Pelicans and Mavericks, too. Plenty of other teams could field a more compelling offer than Dallas, but the willingness (or unwillingness) to do so by those teams matters, too.