NBA Trade Rumors: 5 deals Dallas Mavericks need to make
By Tom West
3. Kevin Martin
The Mavericks have plenty of guards, but they don’t have a ton of wing depth. Outside of Matthews and Parsons there aren’t many options, meaning to add some diversity to their plethora of point guards, a shooting guard or small forward could fill a hole in their roster.
Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops has reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves are open to moving Kevin Martin, and that the Mavericks are one of several teams who have expressed some interest:
"Another veteran who could use a change of scenery is Minnesota Timberwolves guard Kevin Martin. The Timberwolves want to move Martin to give more playing time at the wing spots to youngsters Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad. Teams that expressed exploratory interest in Martin include the Milwaukee Bucks (as I previously reported), the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks. However, teams interested in Martin are hesitant on pulling the trigger on a deal due to his $7.4 million player option."
As Scotto pointed out, the $7.4 million player option for 2016-17 is an issue. If a team wants to keep him going forward then he can choose to leave in free agency. On the other hand, if a team wants to move on from him after this season, they may not be able to do so and they’ll need to fork out $7.4 million — a generous sum for a role player like Martin.
That being said, whatever is in store for Martin and his contract, he could be a worthwhile target for the Mavericks and they’ve rightfully shown interest in him already.
This season his efficiency has noticeably dropped. His shooting from 10-16 feet has fallen dramatically from last season by 17 percent to 29.4 and his mark from 16-24 feet has fallen by nearly 10 percent to 31.8. Whether it’s fit or the type of shots he’s getting, he’s only been shooting 37.5 percent overall.
However, he’s still shooting 36.4 percent from three and scoring 18 points per 36 minutes, and if he can just find his efficiency again, he can still be an effective spark plug off the bench. At the very least, the Mavericks may be able to grab the Timberwolves’ attention due to his limited minutes for them if they offer a couple of cheap assets or an expiring contract.
Next: 2. Taking a risk