It has been a disastrous season for the Dallas Mavericks. With a wave of injuries hitting the team, they’re pretty much conceding the season and preparing for the offseason.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report believes one of their trade targets will be Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball.
“The Mavericks must decide about Irving, who recently tore his ACL. Can the franchise afford to wait for him? Will he be his usual self early in the year, or will he need more than a year to return to form? They “probably” do, but pivoting to a younger scoring point guard like Ball could be a radical but viable alternative,” Pincus wrote.
After Davis went down with the groin injury, guard Kyrie Irving tore his ACL, which leaves the team with a difficult decision this offseason. If Dallas wants to be active on the trade market this offseason, Daniel Gafford or Irving will likely be the best trade options to acquire anything worthwhile in return. As a young, up-and-coming center, Dereck Lively II is one of the players they’d like to keep moving forward.
In a proposed deal for Ball, the Mavericks could send Gafford, P.J. Washington, and Caleb Martin to the Hornets for Ball. This deal would have to include some future first-round draft picks to make it more enticing for Charlotte. Or if Dallas can convince the Hornets to take on Irving, they could exchange the two along with future draft picks.
The future isn’t very clear for either franchise now, but one thing is for certain, Dallas will need to entertain some offers this offseason if they want to return to championship form. A bad trade and being derailed by injuries has put a dark cloud over the franchise. This offseason will be a chance to bring some optimism back to their fan base.
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