Los Angeles Clippers Receive: G/F Sterling Brown, G Trey Burke, DAL 2022 2nd Round Pick
Dallas Mavericks Receive: F/C Serge Ibaka
The Dallas Mavericks have a ton of talent in their frontcourt already with Kristaps Porzingis, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, Willie Cauley-Stein and others, but they do have a $10.8M trade exception to utilize stemming from when they traded Josh Richardson to the Boston Celtics this past offseason.
It is possible that they could save this exception until the offseason, but it expires on June 26 and it is unlikely that they would be able to get value for it at that point. If the Mavericks are to use this TPE, then the trade deadline is the time to do so and Serge Ibaka’s $9.7M salary could easily fit into this exception.
Given all the years of experience he brings and the ability to spread the floor out on the perimeter, Ibaka could wind up being a solid complimentary piece in the Mavericks frontcourt next to Maxi Kleber and Kristaps Porzingis.
Not to mention, the Mavericks have made Dwight Powell, Willie Cauley-Stein and others available ahead of the trade deadline this season, possibly opening up the need for someone like Serge Ibaka to take over some minutes off-the-bench.
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Dallas is currently 22-18 and given how the Western Conference is surprisingly weak this season, it is safe to assume that this team should make the playoffs given how they have looked in recent weeks.
Of course, a major injury to Luka Doncic or someone else could change this, but they have a roster built to make the playoffs right now. The only question about their team though is if they stand a chance to actually win a playoff series.
Doncic is a terrific talent and one of the best all-around players in the NBA right now, but the Mavericks have not won a playoff series since winning their lone title in 2011. Other than Luka Doncic, it is hard to pinpoint where consistent production comes from for this team, which is why Dallas will likely be looking to “buy” at the trade deadline.
Serge Ibaka is not a franchise-altering talent anymore this late into his career, but he could be a steady “loan” option for them since his contract is set to expire at the conclusion of this season.
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Not to mention, the Mavericks could get rid of some unwanted contracts by trading Sterling Brown and Trey Burke to Los Angeles. With both of them being under contract next season, the Mavericks could save themselves a little bit of cap space heading into the offseason.
As for Los Angeles, neither Sterling Brown or Trey Burke are appealing trade options to bring in, but they would lower the tax bill for this team drastically and they are both on small contracts for next season.
