Quality over quantity. That’s a simple concept to most. It’s better to have one good thing than several mediocre ones. It’s an idea that a lot of NBA teams subscribe to. It’s better to have one quality starter at a position than a number of reserves.
Apparently, nobody informed the Dallas Mavericks. They’ve got a lot of big men on their roster. Out of the whole group, only Derrick Lively III is close to being a starter – and even that’s debatable.
Lively II appears to have a bright future in this league, but he’s a rookie. He may not be ready to start once the playoffs come. Otherwise, Dwight Powell and Richaun Holmes are simply not options in a contending starting lineup.
Yet, the Mavericks don’t need much. They’re not looking for a big man to run their offense through. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving can handle those responsibilities. The Mavericks simply need a big man who can finish pick and rolls and add some defensive value.
How about Andre Drummond of the Chicago Bulls?
NBA Trade Proposal: Dallas Mavericks Land Chicago Bulls’ Andre Drummond
Chicago Bulls Receive: G Dante Exum, 2025 Second-Round Pick (TOR via DAL), 2028 Second-Round Pick (MIA via DAL)
Dallas Mavericks Receive: C Andre Drummond
On the other hand, the Mavericks seem to have applied the principle of “quality over quantity” in terms of their offensive distribution. This is not a deep team full of talented playmakers.
The Mavericks mostly lean on Doncic and Irving to produce offense. That’s not a criticism – it’s working. That duo is talented enough to handle the majority of the team’s offensive production.
Perhaps the Bulls should have taken a page out of Dallas’ book. When this team assembled their trio of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic, they were supposed to have an elite offense.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Andre Drummond, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks Updates
How would defenses guard all three of them? By now, it looks like this trio diminishes each other’s production. That’s not to say that three dynamic offensive players can’t co-exist.
Perhaps they just need a clearer pecking order. In any event, something isn’t working in Chicago. Should they trade Drummond as a result?
Why The Chicago Bulls Do The Deal
Sure. The Bulls should trade everyone. They could entertain keeping LaVine, but that’s it. Chicago should be shopping DeRozan, Vucevic, and Alex Caruso. It’s time for this team to rebuild.
Drummond should be on the block as well. The Bulls won’t get a haul for him. At this stage in his career, Drummond is a backup.
With that in mind, a pair of second-round picks is a good return for him. This should be a drop in the large bucket of trades that the Bulls make before this year’s deadline.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Andre Drummond, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks Updates
Taking a flyer on Exum is interesting as well. He’s a couple of years younger than Drummond. Still, the main purpose here is to pick up some draft capital for a solid rotation big.
Should the Mavericks give up those picks?
Why The Dallas Mavericks Do The Deal
Perhaps we’re taking both sides of a debate here. We just said that Drummond was a “solid rotation big”. Before that, we said that the Mavericks needed a starting caliber big. Which is it? Does Drummond solve this team’s issues?
Sure. The Mavericks can run a platoon at the five spot. Lively III has been good – he can probably handle some playoff minutes. This is about upgrading Powell and Holmes.
Drummond can do that. Even as his career winds down, he’s more impactful than either of those players. After all, he remains one of the best rebounders in the NBA on a per-36 basis.
Moreover, he’s a solid pick-and-roll finisher, which makes him a perfect fit alongside Doncic. In the end, this is about assembling a higher-quality big man rotation for the Mavericks.
