Trade Season Roundtable: Which Team-Building Route Should Mavs Take?

The Dallas Mavericks have gotten off to a slower start than expected through 32 games this season. The DallasBasketball.com staff debates which team-building route the Mavs should take as NBA trade season heats up.

After 32 games, the Dallas Mavericks are an even 16-16 on the year. They were able to turn things around last season after a slow start, but the circumstances were much different. 

Not only did the Mavs have Jalen Brunson helping them get back on track, but the early struggles were mainly due to Luka Doncic starting the season in less-than-ideal game shape and battling ankle injuries.

This season, Doncic, for the most part, has been completely healthy and playing at an MVP level from the jump. That makes the Mavs’ slow start even more concerning this around.

The good news for Dallas, though, is that the schedule is getting lighter for the holidays, and it also appears that coach Jason Kidd has finally moved Christian Wood into the starting lineup for good — something that probably should’ve happened a lot sooner.

Roundtable Discussion: Based on everything you’ve seen so far, should the Mavs try to build on this singular season by trying to make a trade or two, or should they hit the “organic tank” button and try to rebuild through the draft?

Mike Fisher: There is an interesting dual track record in the Mark Cuban era.

On the one hand, Cuban and his lieutenants have never been afraid of rolling gigantic dice via trade to acquire theoretically difference-making talent.

And yet, at the same time, Cuban is famously patient in regard to letting his team develop chemistry and rhythm.

So ...

Which is it?

The problem with "Organic Tanking'' (a DallasBasketball.com original!) is that in this particular case, we're not sure Dallas and the NBA Draft offers a magical solution.

Another problem: The cupboard is not well-stocked in terms of flippable talent.

But the biggest problem of all regards that "chemistry and rhythm'' thing; it's not very much in evidence.

Is Christian Wood not a fit? Do something about it. Is there a small move that can make Dallas incrementally better? Execute it.

Is there still huge value in "Making the Tournament'' because as much as with any NBA team, Luka Doncic gives Dallas a true "anything-can-happen'' vibe? That answer is "yes.''

Get to The Tournament.

Michael Mulford: It's tough to say at this point in the season. As of now, the chances of this current roster competing for a championship seem slim, but last season begs to differ.

Last season at this point, the Mavs were 15-15 and ended up in the Western Conference Finals. This season, the Mavs are 16-16. Same exact boat, at least on the surface. With a superstar like Luka, and in the player empowerment era, you have to move with a sense of urgency every single season. 

Not every superstar will be Dirk Nowitzki or Tim Duncan or even Damian Lillard. You just never know when that player will pull the plug and want a fresh start. Making a trade or two sounds great in theory, as this team could use some new energy at the least, but what tier of trades are we making here?

Trading a first-round pick for a non-star or a player who doesn't necessarily move the needle is something I'd frown at. With New York owning Dallas’ 2023 first-round pick (top-10 protected), it's tough to go that route. Unless the Mavericks completely pack it in and Luka gets injured, falling within the bottom-10 teams in the league will be tough to do with the amount of tanking that will take place in the second-half of the season.

Overall, attempting to build on this season, based on where Dallas was at this point last year, seems like the move. Whether it's a player who is an immediate upgrade like Terry Rozier, Bojan Bogdanovic, or Kyle Kuzma to name a few, or if they go big-fish hunting with multiple first-round picks attached, a move of some kind seems necessary.

But, if a needle-moving trade isn't in the cards, organically tanking by trading veterans like Reggie Bullock, Dwight Powell, and Tim Hardaway Jr. to contending teams for picks could be a good game plan as well.

Dalton Trigg: In response to Fish’s take that there’s no “magical solution” in this year’s NBA Draft, I’d have to respectfully disagree. Victor Wembanyama, who has been mentored by Dirk Nowitzki’s longtime trainer Holger Geschwindner, could be that solution … but the problem is that Dallas has a putrid draft lottery history. So that part in particular is not magical.

Even if the Mavs tank — and let’s be honest, we know they won’t — there’s always a chance that the NBA lottery gods put them outside the top 10 regardless, meaning the Mavs would have punted on this season and given the Knicks a lottery pick. Not ideal.

Jason Kidd finally inserting Christian Wood into the starting lineup with Luka Doncic has given me more hope about this team. Even if they don’t make a trade, I feel like this roster is good enough to avoid the play-in tournament if it can get healthy. Maxi Kleber is likely gone for the season with a hamstring tear, but getting Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Green back will be huge. And if Wood continues to improve on the defensive end of the floor as we’ve seen in recent games, that helps a lot with Kleber going down.

Although building through the draft can provide more stable, long-term success, there’s a lot of luck involved in that process — especially in the Mavs’ case. Given the teams history when it comes to drafting vs. trading, I’d say they might as well try to maximize this season as much as possible. With Doncic on the roster, you have a fighting chance against anyone if you make the playoffs, so why not try your best to make the playoffs?

Once the Mavs get to the offseason, they’ll have more flexibility with bigger trade opportunities, assuming that 2023 first-round pick coveys to the Knicks. Winning more games will make sure that happens.

I realize the Mavs have limited assets to get in on any big-time names that pop up, but I’m very interested in seeing how the Chicago Bulls’ situation plays out.

Grant Afseth: It'll be challenging to make a splashy trade with the Mavericks still likely owing the New York Knicks their 2023 first-round pick. Given that the team hired their general manager mainly for his potential free agency recruiting abilities, it would be inexcusable to tear down the roster and build through the draft. There needs to be successful recruitment of high-level players going forward.

With a three-time All-NBA First-Team talent in Luka Doncic, it would be a very concerning outcome to "punt" a season away. With such a dynamic offensive centerpiece, winning at a high level should feature a simple formula. Dallas relies too much on one-dimensional spot-up players and puts a lot of pressure on the top options to attack late in the shot clock when plays stagnate, especially against blitzing in 4-on-3 situations.

It will help to get Josh Green back from injury, but regardless, pursuing a wing that can shoot and attack closeouts would go a long way. It's tough to envision Reggie Bullock not gaining a rhythm from 3-point range, but even then, spot-up heavy offensive players that rarely attack make it harder to keep the defense honest.

There does need to be a determination about Christian Wood's future. Gaining chemistry in high-stakes situations throughout the season and getting acclimated to the defensive responsibilities they seek from their anchor will be critical before the playoffs begin. Their ceiling is too limited without another dynamic scoring presence on the floor to keep the defense honest. Working through the short-term growing pains makes the trade route the best option.

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