From B/R’s Mike Chiari :
The Dallas Mavericks have reportedly expressed trade interest in multiple players as they attempt to add a secondary playmaker in support of superstar guard Luka Doncic.
According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine and Brooklyn Netsguard Spencer Dinwiddie are among the players the Mavs have set their sights on.
Last season, the Mavericks went 43-32 and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16, but they are likely at least one star player away from truly being a championship contender.
Any of the players Dallas is rumored to be interested in could complement Doncic and center Kristaps Porzingis well, and also give the Mavericks one of the NBA’s best trios.
The 28-year-old Oladipo is perhaps the most likely among them to move since he is entering the final year of his contract in 2020-21. That means he could be a rental, but he also comes with some injury risk.
In 2017-18, Oladipo was one of the NBA’s fastest-rising stars. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career by virtue of averaging career highs across the board with 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
Oladipo was named an All-Star again the following season and was on a good pace with 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals per contest, but a ruptured quad limited him to just 36 games.
That injury resulted in Oladipo’s 2019-20 season getting off to a late start as well. He did manage to appear in 19 games, but he wasn’t quite as productive as he was the previous two years with averages of 14.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He also shot a career-worst 39.4 percent from the field.
Dallas would be rolling the dice to some degree by trading for Oladipo, but if he is fully healthy, he could be the exact piece needed to push the Mavs over the top.
LaVine has two years left on his deal and is clearly the Bulls’ best player, but Chicago has finished each of the past three seasons with fewer than 30 wins and may be in the mood to make a big move.
The 25-year-old combo guard still hasn’t been named an All-Star, but he put up All-Star-caliber numbers last season with 25.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
LaVine also shot 45.0 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from deep while knocking down a career-high 3.1 trifectas per game. His shooting ability could make Doncic even more effective, which is a scary thought since Doncic was a legitimate MVP candidate last season.
Like LaVine, Dinwiddie is coming off of a career year and could be expendable, as the Nets look to shape their roster around Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Dinwiddie is signed for the upcoming season and has a player option for 2021-22, meaning he could become a free agent next offseason.
Even so, there is a lot to like about the 27-year-old veteran coming off a season during which he averaged personal bests across the board with 20.6 points, 6.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds.
Dinwiddie is the best pure playmaker among the players Dallas is reportedly interested in, and he is also arguably the most versatile player of the bunch, which could be attractive to a team looking to take the next step like the Mavericks.
O’Connor suggested that any trade the Mavs make could involve the 18th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, so it could become much clearer if the Mavericks intend to make a deal the closer the Nov. 18 draft gets.
