The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a huge trade ahead of the NBA trade deadline acquiring Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets. It is a high-risk move given some of the issues that Irving has had in recent seasons, but no doubt one that could also pay off and be high-reward.
Trying to slow down a backcourt of Luka Doncic and Irving is no small task. They are two of the best isolation players in the NBA and will create havoc for opposing defenses with their ability to not only score the ball but create for others.
The risks run beyond just Irving’s ability to buy in, as this could be a high-priced rental for Dallas. To avoid that occurring, they need to make some more moves ahead of the deadline on Thursday afternoon. That is part of the reason that they are shopping Tim Hardaway Jr., according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN on the Hoop Collective.
“Some of that financial maneuvering could happen before Thursday’s trade deadline. The Mavs have been shopping shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who is owed $34 million over the two remaining years on his contract, since last season, sources told ESPN. That is expected to continue leading up to the deadline, as second-year general manager Nico Harrison hopes to upgrade a 24th-ranked defense that took a significant hit with Finney-Smith’s departure.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Christian Wood, Tim Hardaway Jr & Dallas Mavericks Updates
Losing Finney-Smith is certainly a huge blow to the team as he was by far their most versatile and best defender. With Irving now in the fold, the team can afford to trade away an offensive-minded player such as Hardaway in hopes of finding a two-way performer.
The veteran wing player isn’t the only player that the Mavericks are reportedly shopping around as MacMahon also shared that Christian Wood is on the block. Wood was acquired from the Houston Rockets ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft and thought that he would be the co-star for Doncic after the team traded away Kristaps Porzingis in the offseason.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Christian Wood, Tim Hardaway Jr & Dallas Mavericks Updates
Disappointingly for Wood, that has not been the case. He is doing all of the right things and doesn’t want to be traded, but it is out of his control. If the Mavericks want to retain their flexibility for the offseason, it would make sense for them to get whatever value they can in a trade for Wood now instead of having him leave for nothing in the offseason.
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