Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are in a unique situation. They are ahead of schedule in their rebuild, showcasing the most effective offense in NBA history last season due in large part to the leap of second-year wonder Luka Doncic. They can truly benefit from making a win-now play. They also are one of the many teams expected to court a certain two-time reigning MVP of the league and would not want to compromise their cap space in the future.
Threading the needle is a delicate situation, making the prospect of taking a chance on Victor Oladipo that much more intriguing. Oladipo has struggled coming back from injury but if he can return to his former All-Star form he is the perfect complement to Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
To make the deal work Dallas would have to give up a salary of a similar number and to make it worth Indiana’s while the choice is Tim Hardaway. He would provide a solid scoring option for them and may actually prove more effective than Oladipo in the short term. Including the 31st pick in the draft (essentially a cheaper late first-rounder) sweetens the deal slightly for a small market team like Indiana.
Giving Dallas a chance to check out the fit a year before the most important free agency period they have faced in a while is a good thing. If things work out with Oladipo they would have the chance to re-sign him after using their cap space elsewhere. If things do not work out it will not hinder them going forward.