DALLAS SUMMER LEAGUE

UPYSDE SPORTS PRESENTS:

Addressing the Viability of a Kristaps Trade:

I myself, have been very critical of Kristaps. Ranging from his health, finding him overrated as a shooter, not assertive enough on offense, and feeling that his defensive stats are empty. Obviously, I can see his upside, it's the name of my blog, but I feel like he plays out of position, is too thin, and his biggest strength (his size), is also likely going to be what limits his potential.

Now, I gave him time. When the trade happened originally, I was pretty excited. He was coming off an injury, but had a really nice All-Star season in New York. Most Mavs fans, myself included, had somewhat soured on Dennis Smith Jr, and we saw what Luka is - a superstar. Wanting to get some wins in his rookie contract, I was receptive of the trade. Tank for the rest of the season and then the following year we get the two Euro sensations. Didn't quite work out that way.

He did play very well in the bubble - helping us get 2 wins against who many thought would be the champions, he got us a nice win against a healthy Milwaukee team with Luka out - he's not a bad a player. Me being critical is not me being a hater - he's a solid player, but he needs to be the 3rd best player on a team, not a 1B.

That being said, I've seen some trade rumors floating around - and honestly, I think their BS. I'll walk you through the teams that could want him, which teams have the assets to get him, and which teams might actually be in the running. Before I get to the list, I will say that any trade that the Mavs do, it would have to put them in a winning position. New York has the Dallas first round going into a solid draft unprotected, so they have every incentive to win now, not glide by and wait for another off-season. 

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

76ers, Nets, and Bucks are out - The 76ers made a trade with the Mavs in the fall for Seth Curry, so it's very uncommon to see teams trade twice in one year. Also, the only contracts that could really make sense is if they were willing to trade Tobias or Simmons, which seems incredibly unlikely. The Nets can really only get there if they do some combination of DeAndre Jordan, Joe Harris, and others - and I don't see how that trade really helps either teams. The Bucks really only have Khris Middleton to offer, as they traded their entire future for Jrue Holiday and I don't see the Mavs wanting to take on a player on an expiring contract. These teams all see themselves as Championship caliber teams - which I don't disagree with - but I don't see a path to a trade with them.

Pacers - This might not be completely out of the realm. The Pacers are a top 4 in the standings and they still have Warren hopefully back after All-Star. I don't think the Pacers would make Sabonis available, so it would have to be some combination of like Lamb, Turner, and maybe a draft pick, which if there is any improvement, it's minimal. Lamb has too much overlap with other players on the Mavs that they're trying to develop and Turner is mostly the same skillset at Kristaps. Not a significant net gain.

Raptors - This is an interesting one, since they probably could use a reliable big man, but I don't know who they would realistically trade. The only large contract outside of Siakam is Kyle Lowry, but he's on an expiring deal and pretty old at this point. If I was Mavs GM I would definitely want Boucher, but not enough to pull the trigger on that kind of deal.

Celtics - Another team that is somewhat interesting. I would love to get Robert Williams back in any trade deal. They however, have inconvenient contracts to trade for a max player. Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, and Tristan Thompson would need to be the contracts, but that would be a gift to the Mavs and detrimental to the Celtics. Only having Theis and Kristaps as your big men is quite a risk. They can't realistically play Tacko Fall big minutes. Boston will probably enter the buyout market or stick with what they have.

Knicks - Not happening - they're good with what they have. Maybe Knicks get Drummond, but not Kristaps.

Hornets - They have a few ways they could get him. Zeller's expiring contract, Scary Terry could be made available one Devonte Adams returns, several interesting prospects like PJ Washington, Miles Bridges, and Malik Monk. The Hornets have a package that helps both parties, but I don't see it being a package that the Mavs would want. If we are talking about a Hayward for Kristaps swap, I'd take that all day long, but I don't think that will be enter serious talks.

Heat - Another team that could absolutely get Kristaps, but won't. The Mavs have interest in Goran Dragic, but likely won't be interested enough in the other players attached to make the deal. You'd need either Meyers Leonard, Andre Iguoadala, or Kelly Olynyk's contract on there to make it work. The Heat don't have their first round pick, but they do have Precious Achiuwa, and they do have Duncan Robinson. The Heat of the teams to this point, seem the most likely. A Kristaps / Bam front court makes sense to me - as Bam is not a great shooter, Kristaps can space the floor and won't be expected to heavily work in the paint, and Jimmy and Herro and round out the rest of the line-up. This would be a true blockbuster trade and I feel like helps both teams clean up their roster.

Hawks - This is a weird one. While they have contracts to get Kristaps, their timeline suggests they won't make any major changes. Their two big free agency adds - Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanavic have gotten little or no playing time. They're an 11 seed right now, but only 1 game back of the play-in tournament. For a team that was a bottom team last year, I think they are happy with the progress given the adversity. I think if they make a move for a guy like Kristaps it wouldn't be until summer.

Magic - If Vuce is not available, there is no trade. The Mavs might trade for Aaron Gordon regardless, but it won't involve Kristaps. Keeping this one short because I can't even talk myself into this one.

Wizards - Don't have the contracts. They're ready to just end this season. There are teams that will give a King's Random for Beal, so Kristaps is barely a Baron.

Cavs - Drummond the Cavs would do all day long, but I think he's not worth Kristaps. There would have to be one of their elite backcourt players - Sexton or Garland - to make the deal happen. Okoro likely won't be in the mix, and with Cleveland imploding on a 10-game losing streak, they're not going to trade their pick.

Pistons - The phone hangs up when they say Bl-... Nobody wants Blake Griffin.

Heat an Hornets rumors might heat up, but I'm not sure if it goes down. My money would go on the Heat if I had to bet if a team in the East were to acquire him. For what the Heat needs, there are not a ton of other players available for them to target at this point in the season.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Jazz, Lakers, Clippers, Suns - All out. Don't see it happening at all. Jazz might be willing to let loose Bojan, but with his injury risk and inconsistency, not sure the Mavs want him. Lakers and Clippers won't make any moves that caliber to get Kristaps, and Suns don't have enough juice outside of their "big 3" to warrant a player of Kristaps' caliber.

Trailblazers - Another team that probably could use him, but don't have the right mix of contracts to get him. They won't break up the backcourt and Covington has looked a lot better in the last two weeks. Nurkic is a defensive anchor and they don't have a lot of expensive dead contracts to mix in with prospects. They might make smaller moves, but won't try to get a whale.

Spurs - The Spurs are just running out the clock. They have a lot of big expiring contracts, but I don't know if the Mavs are looking at that direction. This upcoming free agency pool isn't lined with excellence, so there is not a ton of incentive to have that flexibility with Giannis out of the mix.

Nuggets - Harris and Millsap with an elite prospect like MPJ or RJ Hampton would generate interest, but I don't see it happening. The Nuggets are in a good spot and are still very young. Even if Barton and Green opt out, I'm sure they'll stay with the team long-term. I just don't see it happening and honestly, I'm not convinced Kristaps makes them better. That being said, my original thesis is that Kristaps need to be the 3rd best player on a good team, so it would at least meet that credential.

Warriors - This team won't make that trade. If anyone, they'll give up the farm to get Beal. Kristaps is likely not on their radar.

Grizzlies - They have the contracts to make a trade happen, but those contracts won't feature the value required to attain Kristaps. I don't see them as a viable trade target.

Pelicans - This team would have to do too much finagling to make a Kristaps situation work. They just extended Steven Adams, so unless he's involved in the trade, I don't see a particular path. New Orleans is also 5-5 in their last 10, and only a couple of games out of the play-in tournament. With their team so young, I don't see them making big moves like this until next year at the earliest.

Kings - The Kings have lost 7 straight, so they may at least pick up the phone. It's possible they might be willing to move on from Bagley and Hield - lean into the prospect of making Haliburton a full time starter. This is actually a solid trade option but I don't know how desperate they are at this point.

Thunder - I don't see a path to Kristaps on this team unless they're going to creak open the treasure trove of draft picks. Al Horford would be the centerpiece, but his health and regression, combined with a bad contract make this less than desirable. The Thunder feature several former Mavs prospects, so they may not trade on principal (mostly kidding). Realistically, I think the Thunder are biding their time, but now is not it for a major move.

Rockets - This would be too big of a trade to make sense for the Mavs. Wall is a tough contract, Oladipo is likely their building block, and Wood is playing too good to trade. I don't see the Mavs taking a deal for Gordon, Exum, and Tucker for Kristaps. Two of those contracts are expiring and I don't know a lot of teams that will want an Eric Gordon who is signed up until he's 36.

Timberwolves - Even with a new coach, I don't think his first move will be to break up the D-Lo and KAT combo. They've only been able to play 5 games together, so it's no surprise they're sitting at a 7-24 record with no first round pick in the summer. Rubio and Beasley might not be enough to pull away Kristaps, so I really don't see an easy trade to make this work. 

The West is much more difficult to make a trade, but after talking myself in and out of trades throughout this article, I think the likely destinations should be Heat or Kings. Anyone else outside of that would be a dark horse candidate. The Mavs will likely take a couple calls but nothing will come of it. They have branded their team around their Euro duo and I think they give them another year before looking to break them up. There are players on other teams that are attainable for the Mavs that I see a more likely players to find their way there. Please note that this article is specifically for 2-team trades, and it's very possible a more complex trade with several teams is how Kristaps gets moved. At this time, I don't see significant enough interest from any of the two party trades to warrant any serious thought beyond speculation.

- Adam Safianow - NBA Analyst - Upsyde Sports [Copyright 2021]