The Dallas Mavericks made a blockbuster move Sunday afternoon, trading for the Brooklyn Nets’ controversial All-Star, Kyrie Irving.
But don’t think that will be all.
The front office is not finished exploring trade options to further reshape and upgrade the roster around 23-year-old franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic, a person familiar with the Mavericks’ thinking said less than an hour after news of the Irving trade broke.
What else could they do before the NBA’s 2 p.m. Thursday trade deadline?
Dallas has discussed options to move Tim Hardaway Jr., multiple people familiar with the Mavericks’ approach pre-Irving said.
Though he can boost the offense when in a shooting rhythm, Hardaway’s contract is viewed as a long-term investment that doesn’t justify his streaky high-volume production while limiting the Mavericks’ future financial flexibility.
Playing on a $19.6 million salary this season, Hardaway is set to make $17.9 million in 2023-24 and 16.2 million in 2024-25 to finish the four-year deal he signed to remain in Dallas during 2021 free agency, Nico Harrison’s first as the Mavericks’ general manager.
Christian Wood has also been a frequently discussed candidate for the Mavericks to shop.
Before fracturing his left thumb Jan. 18 and missing the last eight games, Wood ascended from sixth-man center to open the season to starter since mid-December. While he has flashed strong offensive chemistry and and formed a friendship with Doncic, Wood (making $14.3 million this season) will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
While Wood is currently eligible for an extension up to four years and $77 million, talks between his management and the Mavericks’ have been preliminary and Dallas has not provided a formal offer. It’s unclear whether Wood would be open to a shorter-term deal -- two years, for example, versus four -- as the Mavericks continue to evaluate his potential to help contend for a championship next to Doncic, and now Irving.
It’s also unclear how much teams around the NBA value Wood’s skillset as a high-level scorer with defensive deficiencies who has played for seven teams in his first seven NBA seasons.
If not the Mavericks don’t move Wood before the trade deadline, they risk another Jalen Brunson scenario, losing a starter for no compensation for a second consecutive year if Wood signs elsewhere as a free agent.
With Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith headed to Brooklyn as Irving trade compensation, the Mavericks’ most valuable trade pieces include third-year wing Josh Green and rookie guard Jaden Hardy.
Green has emerged as one of the league’s most improved players this season, becoming a mainstay in coach Jason Kidd’s rotation whose shooting efficiency and confidence skyrocketed after a rigorous offseason training regimen in Las Vegas. He has nearly doubled his scoring average (8.1 points per game) while shooting 55.4% from the floor and 44.1% from the floor despite missing a month with a right elbow sprain.
Hardy, for whom the Mavericks traded two future second-round picks to acquire at No. 37 overall in June, has shown flashes of dominant scoring and shot creation potential in limited minutes as a rookie. But his status as a 20-year-old with developmental years ahead may not fit the Mavericks’ new timeline and win-now expectations with Doncic and Irving.
Other salaries clogging the Mavericks’ future salary cap and luxury tax outlook include Davis Bertans’ (up to $49 million through 2025) and JaVale McGee’s (three years, $17.2 million that he signed in July 2022 with the promise of starting at center before falling out of the rotation after three weeks).
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