One trade every NBA team needs to make
By Tom West
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks are the first of two teams around the NBA that could benefit from pursuing a trade for Darrell Arthur of the Nuggets.
Denver already have plenty of big men on their roster, such as Kenneth Faried, Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic. They favor Faried and their young guys with potential, meaning that someone like Arthur is well and truly placed in a backup role with 20 minutes per game. He’s still a notable player and not necessarily someone they’re shopping, but he is someone they could survive without if a worthwhile offer comes their way.
To try to land Arthur, the Mavericks will have to make the most of their limited trade assets. It won’t be easy as their main expendable players are just backup guards, so their best bet may be to offer Raymond Felton and another role player (possibly Dwight Powell if the Mavs can’t make a deal happen with anyone else).
Of course, Felton is hardly much of a prize in return for Arthur. However, he hasn’t been too bad at times this year and his primary value comes from his contract anyway (his $3.95 contract expires after this season). This just allows the Nuggets to free up a touch more cap space, and if they can add an energetic, athletic rotation player like Powell to replace Arthur, they help their financial situation and are no worse off with their roster.
As for Arthur arriving in Dallas, he’d be a seamless fit off the bench. He’s a great option at power forward to space the floor and can operate so easily with their team that uses so many pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops with the likes of Dirk Nowitzki. Arthur is shooting 41.2 percent from 10-to-16 feet and 47 percent from 16-24 feet, which makes him the kind of reliable and efficient outside option to bolster the Mavs’ frontcourt.
Next: Memphis Grizzlies