NBA Trade Grades: Knicks add Emmanuel Mudiay in 3-team deal
Dallas Mavericks
For the price of a backup guard, the Dallas Mavericks will get a few months to test out Doug McDermott before the 26-year-old wing hits restricted free agency. Losing Devin Harris hurts since he was beloved in Big D, but it might not be the end of the road for him there either:
It was painful for Mavs to trade Devin Harris, who is beloved throughout franchise, but they felt getting trial period on pending RFA Doug McDermott and a second-round pick (originally Portland's via Denver) was a move worth making. Door will be open to Harris return this summer.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 8, 2018
What happens then will be anyone’s guess, but for all of Dougie Fresh’s deficiencies on the defensive end, he can shoot the ball and was playing well for the Knicks off the bench. This season, he’s averaging 7.2 points in 21.3 minutes per game, shooting 46 percent from the floor and 38.7 percent from 3-point range on 2.5 attempts per game.
Alongside rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and under head coach Rick Carlisle, McDermott will be put in a position to succeed more than ever before. He should get significant minutes backing up Harrison Barnes at the 3 (or taking Harris’ spot at the 2) off the bench for a tanking team.
In such a tight market with so many teams running low on cap space, Dallas may even get to re-sign him below his actual value this summer, but that’s a bridge the Mavs can cross when they get to it, depending on how the next few months go.
The Mavs also snagged an extra second round pick, which can never hurt for a rebuilding franchise.
Grade: B+