Dallas Mavericks: Willie Cauley-Stein will be a good addition

The Dallas Mavericks made two trades in a day netting Willie Cauley-Stein. If he lives up to his career numbers he will be a solid addition.

The Dallas Mavericks traded players at the end of their roster to improve the team overall. They effectively traded Isaiah Roby and a second-round pick for Willie Cauley-Stein. They accomplished this through two trades, the net effect was to improve the team.

The first trade the Mavericks made was a clear-out trade. They sent Roby to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Justin Patton. The Mavericks then waived Patton to clear the roster spot for Cauley-Stein who they secured for just a second-round pick from the Golden State Warriors.

Cauley-Stein has started 236 of his 336 career games. If he manages to produce his career numbers then the Mavericks are still solid in the middle.

On his career, Cauley-Stein is averaging 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks in 23.9 minutes per contest.

This is not a bad replacement, number-wise, for Dwight Powell. The injured Mavericks center has averaged 9.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks in 26.5 minutes per game.

The other difference is that Powell has been part of the Mavericks’ system since the 2014-15 season. He understands how coach Rick Carlisle likes the offense and defense run. It is going to take Cauley-Stein time to adjust to the Mavericks style of play alongside Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.

With that being said, Cauley-Stein is going to help save the season for Dallas. His presence has a massive impact on the starting lineup. Porzingis has been the starting center for the Mavericks since the Powell injury.

This was a concern given his injury history. Bodies bang in the paint and Porzingis’ body, particularly his knee, needs to be protected as much as possible. Cauley-Stein has never played less than 66 games in a year so he should be able to keep Porzingis from having to bang down low.

Cauley-Stein is going to be the primary pick and roll man with Doncic. He needs to set a strong pick before rolling to the hoop, clearing space for the second-year star. He will not be a pick and pop option considering his lack of 3-point shooting.

He also gives the Mavericks depth in the center position. Maxi Kleber is a solid back up for the Mavericks but he is not starting caliber. Third-string center Boban Marjanovic is good for bursts in a game but cannot be relied upon for regular minutes.

While this trade is not a blockbuster, it is one of the crucial moves which often go unappreciated by the casual NBA fan. Teams are made up of so many moving parts with every player having a role, and Cauley-Stein has a tremendous opportunity to play a crucial role for this Mavericks team.

If he can do this, the fifth-year center has a good chance to help his team go deep into the playoffs. All in all, Cauley-Stein for Roby is a pretty good flip for the Mavericks front office. When Powell comes back from injury the Mavericks will have an even better run at the title next year.