Mavs Almost Made 2 'Really Big' Trades Before NBA Deadline, Says Cuban

Mark Cuban Says His Dallas Mavericks Almost Added "Two Really Big Pieces" At The NBA Trade Deadline

DALLAS - The critic can argue that "an almost-trade'' counts for nothing. But the Dallas Mavericks fans who finds compelling the intricacies of the NBA Trade Deadline will be interested to know about a pair of Mavs "almosts.''

"We tried,'' Mavs owner Mark Cuban told 105.3 The Fan's "Shan & RJ'' in his post-NBA Trade Deadline review. "We came close on a couple of deals.''

Deals that were "big''?, asked co-host Shan Shariff.

"Two really big pieces,'' Cuban answered, noting what on the table in a pair of "three-team deals.''

"They were both three-team deals,'' he said. "In one case, it was a trade-and-extend, (but) we couldn't get the player to agree on terms. In the other case, one of the teams decided they didn't want to trade a key guy to make it happen.''

That latter concept sounds like the idea we wrote about here, Dallas inserting itself into a swap that would've landed long-coveted Danny Green from the Los Angeles Lakers. (Another version of that deal did go down, with no Mavs/Green involvement.) The trade-and-extend concept? The Mavs would be wise to keep a lid on that, as it would reveal an interest in a player who figures to come available this summer. ... maybe a player like Luka Doncic pal Bogdan Bogdanovic, who recently turned down a Kings extension offer. Or maybe a player like OKC’s Danilo Gallinari, a Miami trade-seeker that reportedly wasn’t able to work out an extension with him.

.@DallasMavs @StepBackMavs Back Pod Ep. 56: MKG is IN and Luka Doncic is BACK! https://t.co/oxqKoIneyL via @SInow pic.twitter.com/xodV1l1lTv

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) February 12, 2020

In the end, as Cuban told DallasBasketball.com's "Mavs Step Back'' Podcast, the Mavs were content to stand pat and let their "great core'' - featuring Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis - grow together.

"We can't sneak up on anybody,'' he said of a Dallas team that has surprised this year. "We're looked at as a good team. We still haven't played our best basketball. But it's not how you start, it's how you finish. The (last quarter of) games, if we can get a good run going toward the playoffs, everybody on this team believes it can beat anybody.''