NBA trade deadline 2023: Dallas Mavericks trade assets roundup

Trade season is just around the corner, if not already here. Before we get too deep into swapping fake trades, let’s take a look at what the Dallas Mavericks have in their trade coffer. The Mavericks aren’t in the best shape when it comes to trade assets, but they’re not destitute, either. So take a look at what they’ve got in their bag, then head over to the trade machine of your liking and get to work:

1st round picks

The Mavericks owe the New York Knicks their first round pick this year as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade from 2018. It’s top-10 protected, and if it doesn’t convey this season, then the Knicks would get the Mavericks’ 2024 first-round pick, and so on, until 2025. If the pick doesn’t convey by then, it turns into two second-round picks. More than likely, the pick is headed to New York this summer.

The Mavericks own their first-round picks from 2026 through 2030 outright. That means today, they can trade their picks in 2027 and 2029. (They can’t trade picks in consecutive years due to the Stepien Rule). They can offer up pick swaps in 2026, 2028, and 2030.

After the 2023 NBA draft, the Mavericks will be able to trade any of their picks from 2024 through 2030, again keeping in mind that they can’t trade picks in consecutive years.

There’s some workarounds to the protections on the owed pick where the Mavericks could trade earlier picks than 2027, but they’re complex and I doubt other teams would agree to the framework. Still, if you’re interested, here’s what it would look like, from an article by CBS Sports Sam Quinn:

There are two workarounds to the above. The first would be removing the protections from an owed pick, which is not only risky, but requires the consent of the team that owns that pick. The second is by trading picks without a designated year. Typically, the way this works is for the trading team to agree to send out a first-round pick two years after the original pick or picks that it owes elsewhere convey. Put more simply, it essentially means agreeing in advance to give up their next allowable pick even if they don’t technically know when that pick will come. The downside risk here is that if the protections on those previously owed picks prevent them from conveying long enough, the acquiring team can be left with nothing.

2nd round picks

Up until the deadline, the Mavericks will have only two second-round picks they can trade—2027 and 2029. They will end up owning their 2025 second-round pick, but it’s held up in the Knicks trade. If the Mavericks don’t convey a first-round pick to the Knicks by 2025, New York gets two second-round picks from Dallas.

The rest of the Mavericks’ second-round picks for the decade are owed to the Sacramento Kings and some combination of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, and Houston Rockets, depending on where the picks land.

Young players

Josh Green has gone from glued to the bench last season to important cog in the Mavericks’ rotation this year. He’s just 22 years old, and has shown signs of a decent 3-point shot (at least from the corner). Green probably isn’t coveted across the league, but he’s definitely an asset the Mavericks can move in a trade.

The same goes for Jaden Hardy. Dallas has eased Hardy into the rotation this season, giving him plenty of time in the G League early on. He cooked for the Texas Legends. Plagued by injuries, the Mavericks had no choice but to give him minutes, and he cashed in on the opportunity. Hardy hasn’t had any big games to speak of, but he’s shown he can get buckets in the NBA. That’s huge.

Trade-friendly contracts

This is one area where the Mavericks are actually deep. The contracts of Christian Wood, Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dwight Powell, and Reggie Bullock are all extremely trade-friendly.

Powell and Wood’s contracts are expiring. Hardaway’s contract decreases annually. Bullock and Kleber make $11 million per year or less. Finney-Smith is a bargain at just under $15 million per year.

All these contracts are big enough to be used to match salaries, but not so burdensome as to make them difficult to trade. The only downside is all these players are crucial to the Mavericks’ current rotation. But if a trade comes along that Dallas can’t say no to, they’ll have their choice of contracts to facilitate the deal.