Dallas Mavericks: What Potential Gal Mekel, Bernard James Trades Mean

The Dallas Mavericks are looking to get something back for the players that won’t be on the roster for long, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears.

Spears reported late Thursday night that the Mavs are looking to trade end-of-the-bench point guard Gal Mekel and center Bernard James to free up some roster spots.

One thing to note: James signed a new contract this summer with Dallas before Sept. 15, so he can’t be traded until Dec. 15, unless he gives the Mavs consent. Spears also noted his source said no trade is imminent.

But the idea of trading Mekel remains a possibility. The Mavs were very high on the 26-year-old point guard who became only the second Israeli player to ever play in the NBA last year. Mekel led Maccabi Haifa to a league title in 2012-13 and was the MVP of that year.

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Since then, Dallas has kept Mekel at the end of the bench, due to injuries and he’s just too far behind the curve of the three veterans in

,

and

. Mekel has two years left on the three-year, minimum-salary deal he signed with Dallas last summer.

But in the event Mekel is traded, Dallas would probably be interested in bringing a second round pick back from a team who could use some point guard depth. But if no trade is imminent, but trades are being talked about, then that can give us some clarity to the direction the Mavs want to go with their final roster before the season opener against the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 28.

By the way: Basketball season starts really soon, friends. Get excited.

Here are some things we can speculate if the Mavs are, indeed, making moves.

1) Charlie Villanueva will make the final roster

It won’t hurt to have extra 3-point shooting, especially if that comes from your frontcourt.

Charlie Villanueva has played very well when he’s seen the floor. He’s a new man in Dallas, not like the corpse that was walking around in Detroit. Even if James isn’t traded, and is sent down to the D-League again, that opens up a spot for Charlie V even if Mekel is gone.

Having Brandan Wright back up Dirk Nowitzki at power forward is always an effective option. But having a guy like Villanueva who can stretch the floor gives the Mavs something they haven’t had since the great Keith Van Horn was a Maverick.

Anybody miss those days?

2) Ricky Ledo may get some more opportunities

This is a two-fold argument. The Mavs need bodies at shooting guard, and combine Mekel’s potential departure with Raymond Felton missing time to start the year and then some, Ricky Ledo may get a chance to show how ready he is for the NBA.

For those who aren’t familiar with Ledo, he was the Mavs’ second round pick last summer out of Providence and hadn’t played in a meaningful basketball game since his high school days.

Ledo is a major work in progress. But he’s talented as one can imagine. He can make 3-pointers, attack the basket and is extremely athletic. He has all the tools to be an everyday player in the NBA, but he’s a project. He’ll more than likely benefit from another year with the Texas Legends, but for now, Ledo may be one of the end-of-the-bench guys to start the season.

The Mavs aren’t going to give up on Ledo, as they shouldn’t. Look for him to get some more minutes the rest of the preseason.

3) Fan-favorite Ivan Johnson may start in the D-League

Not even Ivan Johnson believed Charlie Villanueva would play this well for a roster spot, but one of the league’s fan favorites may have to start with the Legends if he wants to continue playing with the Mavs.

One of Rick Carlisle‘s projects this summer was with Johnson, trying to have him become a 3-point shooting big man, much like what Villanueva is right now. That hasn’t come to fruition. Johnson hasn’t made a shot in the preseason up until this point. He also sat out the entire game against Indiana.

Johnson showed plenty of promise during his stint in Atlanta, but he’s a slender version of DeJuan Blair, which isn’t what the Mavs need at this moment. Look for Ivan The Great to be starting in Frisco, Texas, or even get a shot on another roster.