Dallas Mavericks: Possible Midseason Trade Targets

By Cole Mentzel | Sep 18, 2015

Jan 23, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) defends against Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) during the first half at the American Airlines Center. The Bulls defeated the Mavericks 102-98. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

The Dallas Mavericks are always a team willing to make a big trade during the season or right before the trade deadline. They proved that yet again last year when they completed a blockbuster trade to acquire Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics.

Even though that cut down on the amount of assets that the Mavs had, they will enter 2015-16 with a reloaded team, meaning they’ll have more players available for a trade. Though the Mavs may not exactly be interested in a trade due to their situation, you can never count them out of one, and a few big names could be on the move this season.

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Ricky Rubio

This came up in early September after Ric Bucher dropped an interesting rumor in a segment with Bleacher Report. He mentioned that the Wolves could look to trade Rubio because they simply feel like he is not a part of their future.

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Rubio, who is only 24, has had shades of Jason Kidd and Steve Nash in the passing and assisting portion of his game and thrives better in situations where he can facilitate rather than carry the scoring load.

The Mavs might not be very interested in Rubio if their project with Deron Williams pays off. Williams has showed real signs of life in private workouts with the team and looks like he is in good shape in a few of the pictures and videos the Mavs have posted on their Twitter account.

However, he is only on a one-year deal (with a player option for 2016-17). It wouldn’t make sense to have both him and Rubio on a team but the Mavs are always searching for a new piece to their future.

https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/643907627731283968

This player is one the Mavs would be more likely to take a look at this season. They will probably be looking for bigs throughout the year and Gibson has already been involved in trade rumors in the past. At age 30, he is a versatile forward that can dunk and rebound well. He is used to coming off the bench in Chicago in order to cover for Pau Gasol and sometimes Joakim Noah.

The only bad sign is that Gibson has had a flurry of injuries in recent seasons. His asking price would be high and the Bulls could be looking to unload other players with him but he is a player the Mavs should and could definitely consider if he becomes available.

Markieff Morris

This would come down to the Phoenix Suns. Morris has already asked for a trade from the team after Phoenix traded away his brother Marcus back in July. He publicly stated that he was upset with the decision and criticized the team for doing so, which ultimately led to a $10,000 fine.

The Mavs could be interested in Morris due to his rising stats. They’ve gotten better year after year and he is still a young player with plenty of talent left. He provides plenty of offense that would be key coming off the bench. At the moment, the Suns don’t seem to be interested in a trade but if that changes, the Mavs could be a team in the running.

As for blockbuster trades, don’t expect the Mavs to be involved in any of that unless they find an offer that they cannot resist. Dallas still believes they have a shot at Kevin Durant in free agency and don’t want to mess up their cap situation. All the Carmelo Anthony rumors will stay away from the Mavs due to cap space and the fact that he does not fit with the team.

If I had to connect the Mavs with one big-time player, it would probably be Joakim Noah. It is HIGHLY unlikely that he is going anywhere but his name was mentioned on the trade front a few times last season and an elite center is exactly what the Mavs tried to get during the summer of 2015. Still, they would likely lack the assets to please Chicago.

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