3 trades Dallas Mavericks need to make after missing on OG Anunoby
The Dallas Mavericks are 19-15, seventh in the Western Conference but tied in the loss column with No. 8 Phoenix and No. 9 Houston. It's hard to ding the team's success overall — especially with Kyrie Irving missing multiple weeks of action — but Dallas would surely love to improve its standing in the hotly contested West.
Mark Cuban recently sold the team, but he remains in charge of basketball ops in concert with GM Nico Harrison. The Mavs' successful offseason yielded Dereck Lively, Grant Williams, Derrick Jones Jr., and Dante Exum — all of whom have been key to Dallas' turnaround from last season's failure. That said, a trade (or two, or three) could elevate the Mavs even further.
If anything, Dallas owes it to Luka Doncic, who continues to stake his claim on the MVP race with absurd production across the board. No NBA player shoulders a heavier burden. That is often by design, but it speaks to Doncic's innate talent and incredible value all the same. He could use another fiddle in the band.
OG Anunoby was a favorite hypothetical target for Dallas, but the Toronto Raptors sent him to the New York Knicks instead. As the Mavs survey the market ahead of the February trade deadline, here are a few moves that could work for all involved.
3. Mavericks can upgrade defense with Alex Caruso trade
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Dallas has already made several strides on defense. Dereck Lively is only a rookie, but his length and anticipation skills in the middle have been a welcome reprieve from the dog days of starting Dwight Powell. On the perimeter, the new starting wing combo of Derrick Jones and Dante Exum has performed well above expectations.
That said, Dallas should always want to upgrade. Alex Caruso might be the NBA's best sixth man. Unfortunately, he's stuck on the sub-.500 Chicago Bulls, one of the league's meekest franchises. Caruso is expected to fetch a high price on the trade market, if the Bulls even deal him. The 29-year-old was named to his first All-Defense team last season and he's right on track for a second nomination in 2024.
There are some great guard defenders in the NBA. We talk plenty about Jrue Holiday and Derrick White in Boston, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in OKC. But, Caruso might be the most impactful per-minute guard defender in the NBA. He has absolutely mastered his defensive footwork, elegantly fighting over screens and muscling his way to success across the positional spectrum. When he's not stifling the point of attack, Caruso is a help-side nuisance always looking to blow up plays.
He would earn immediate, significant run in Dallas. His Sixth Man of the Year candidacy would finally take center stage on a legitimate winner. He's not exclusively a defender, either. Caruso is averaging 10.0 points and 2.5 assists on .529/.455/.778 splits in 24.2 minutes. He's averaging a career-high 3.6 attempts from deep. That floor-spacing, combined with sharp connective instincts, makes Caruso one of the best role players in the NBA.
Dallas has to give something to get something here. Josh Green is 23 years old at the front end of an affordable new contract. His numbers are down in 2023-24 so far, but he's an athletic rim-finisher and floor-spacer who is one heck of a defender in his own right. He would serve the Bulls' inevitable rebuild well.