Mavs Offseason 'Preference' is Rekindling Trade Talks; Ayton Still in Play?

NBA insider Marc Stein joined 97.1 The Freak on Saturday and gave some insight into what the Dallas Mavericks are hoping for when it comes to free agency and trades as the offseason progresses.

The NBA offseason has cooled off after a hectic month of action that started with the NBA Draft and wrapped up recently with free agency and Summer League play. Although trade rumors have died down, though, that doesn't mean they can't ramp back up before the season begins.

The Dallas Mavericks have made a number of moves to improve their roster, including acquiring highly-talented rookies Dereck Lively and OMax Prosper on draft night, as well as completing a sign-and-trade for Grant Williams in restricted free agency. However, despite the Dallas front office pulling off one of the most successful offseasons the Mavs have had in a long time, they might not be done making moves.

On Saturday, NBA insider Marc Stein had his recent episode of “Saturday Sportsworld with Marc Stein” on 97.1 The Freak and dropped four interesting tidbits of information regarding the rest of the Mavs' offseason: 1) Dallas has shown "exploratory" interest in free agent forward Derrick Jones Jr., but a signing isn't imminent, 2) Dallas would only be interested in Kelly Oubre Jr. on a veteran minimum contract, 3) despite a recent report linking the Mavs to Rudy Gay, Stein doesn't think there's any real interest there, and 4) the Mavs' "preference" would be to "rekindle some of the trade talks they were involved in at the beginning of the summer" rather than settle for bargain-bin free agents.

That last bit of information is the most interesting one, as there are three players the Mavs have been linked to the most in trade talks since draft night: Phoenix Suns' Deandre Ayton, Atlanta Hawks' Clint Capela and Detroit Pistons' Bojan Bogdanovic. We know the Capela situation depends on the Atlanta Hawks finding a way to win the Pascal Siakam sweepstakes with the Toronto Raptors, and the Pistons' asking price for 34-year-old Bogdanovic is still too rich for the Mavs' blood, but could the Ayton talks catch on again before training camp?

The reported trade offer the Mavs made the Suns for Ayton on draft night, per Stein, was Tim Hardaway Jr., Richaun Holmes and JaVale McGee. The Suns balked at that offer, but if Ayton isn't showing a willingness to stay in Phoenix before the season starts, perhaps they revisit those negotiations with the Mavs.

Since the Mavs' draft-night trade with the Sacramento Kings was made official on July 6, that means Holmes can't be traded in a Dallas package with other players or picks until September 4 – which is 60 days from the date the first trade was made official. So if the Mavs are persistent on including Holmes in such a deal, they'll have to wait a little more than a month to keep trying.

The Mavs being extra cautious with their 2027 first-round pick is likely one of the reasons why the trade talks for Ayton didn't go any further than they did. However, if Phoenix is persistent on getting draft compensation, perhaps the Mavs could explore trading their 2027 pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder, for example, in exchange for multiple first-round picks.

OKC owns 35 draft picks over the next seven years, and 15 of those are first-rounders. Given the abundance of young talent they already have on their roster, some of those assets will need to be consolidated at some point, and the Mavs could help them out with that while also helping themselves.

A lot can happen between now and the start of the season, and perhaps the domino that ends up falling will net the Mavs Capela, Bogdanovic or a different player that hasn't been on the radar this summer. But given the Mavs' interest in Ayton, paired with the fact that he shares an agent with Luka Doncic and newly-acquired Williams in Billy Duffy, we wouldn't be shocked if that situation starts building smoke again.

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