Dallas Mavericks: 5 Trade Destinations For Andrew Bogut
As the NBA trade deadline approaches, the Dallas Mavericks have to decide if they want to trade center Andrew Bogut. Minimized in their rotation, he could be a key acquisition for a number of teams around the league.
The Dallas Mavericks are on a tear recently, winners of seven of their last 10 games. Most recently, the team knocked off the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers on back-to-back nights.
When the team started 6-20, their season seemed to be over. Offseason moves to fill out their roster with veterans showed a commitment to another postseason run in Dirk Nowitzki’s twilight years. But injuries and gut-punch losses seemed to derail that goal from the jump.
The Mavericks are not a team to lay down, either as a roster or an organization. With Nowitzki returning healthy to the lineup, Dallas began to claw its way back into the playoff picture.
Head coach Rick Carlisle showed no hesitation in morphing the starting lineup, rotating the guards and going small around Nowitzki at center.
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While the move has launched the Mavericks into the thick of the competition for the eighth and final playoff berth in the West, it has also shown clearly a reality for this team.
Andrew Bogut, former No. 1 overall pick and recent champion with the Golden State Warriors, is not a meaningful part of this team.
Bogut has played in just three games over Dallas’ winning stretch, totaling just eight points, nine rebounds and seven fouls. On the season Bogut has played in just 25 games, some missed due to injury, but many others that fateful DNP-CD.
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While the Dallas rotation thrives with Dirk starting in the middle, Bogut is left on the outside looking in.
His marginal playing time and little meaningful on-court impact mean that Bogut’s trade value has been depressed from what it was at the start of the season. Even so, Bogut is not simply a washed-up player.
The Australian center is third in the league in defensive Real Plus-Minus, behind just Rudy Gobert and former teammate Draymond Green.
There is need around the league for a true rim protecting center, especially one who cleans the glass and can facilitate an offense on the other end. As Bogut’s value wanes, the opportunity to trade for him opens up for more and more teams.
With the trade deadline approaching, which five teams stand out as potential destinations for Andrew Bogut?