NBA EXCLUSIVE: Mavs’ Cuban Speaks On Potential Smith Jr. Reunion

Last week, former Dallas Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. told DallasBasketball.com that he was interested in making a return to his old team, and this week, Cuban tells us there could be interest on the Mavs’ end as well.

Dalton Trigg | Aug 10, 2021

Last week, former Dallas Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. told DallasBasketball.com that he was interested in making a return to his old team. But the real question after that was, what would the Mavs’ interest level be in a Smith Jr. comeback?

“We don’t have (any open) roster spots yet,” Cuban tells DallasBasketball.com when asked about potentially bringing Smith Jr. back. “But if that changes, it's a conversation to have.”

‘Yet’ is the most interesting part of that statement, as we know the Mavs are interested in Bulls’ stretch-big Lauri Markkanen. Dallas’ most viable way of acquiring Markkanen would be through sign-and-trade, though, and with Chicago also wanting a first round pick as well as not having to take on any salary dumps, any traction with the Mavs might have to involve a third team with multiple players being moved.

If that happens, and the Mavs end up with an open roster spot or two, then a Mavs-DSJ reunion might become more a reality. Especially if the Mavs’ pursuit of Goran Dragic doesn’t pan out.

Smith Jr. is still close with a handful of players on the Mavs’ roster, including Luka Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith. One could argue that the makeup of this current Dallas team fits Smith Jr. more than it did in his previous stint, given that he wouldn’t have the pressure of being the team’s second-best player this time around.

The 23-year old athletic guard could potentially flourish in a low-pressure reserve role, possibly even more so than reserve guard Trey Burke did last season.

Only time will tell if this reunion can materialize, but for now, we know that both sides are on at least on each other’s radars.

Published Aug 10, 2021

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.