The Dallas Mavericks are entering the offseason as one of the more interesting teams. After trading away star guard Luka Doncic for big man Anthony Davis, many saw Dallas as a team with a grim outlook for the future.
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But thanks to some luck in the NBA Draft lottery, Dallas will now have the chance to draft Duke star Cooper Flagg. With this news, the Mavericks can likely move around some pieces on the roster to build a contending team.
This could see some players be moved this offseason, and Dallas is expected to be very active. One name that has been floated around in trade rumors is center Daniel Gafford, and it has been reported that he wants to be paid like a starter.
With Flagg coming to the team, Gafford could be expendable. Opposing teams will likely be trying to trade for him, and Dallas could pull the trigger on a deal.
In this new trade proposal, Dallas moves Gafford and other pieces to land a two-time All-Star. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report proposed a deal to have Dallas land guard Jrue Holiday from the Boston Celtics.
Here is what the deal could look like:
Mavericks receive: Jrue Holiday and a $3 million trade exception (Olivier-Maxence Prosper)
Celtics receive: Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, Drew Timme, a $32.4 million trade exception (Holiday), a $2.5 million trade exception (Xavier Tillman Sr.), a $2.4 million trade exception (Neemias Queta), and a $2.2 million trade exception (Porziņģis)
Nets receive: Kristaps Porziņģis, Dwight Powell, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Xavier Tillman Sr., Neemias Queta (from Celtics), a 2026 protected first-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick swap
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images
With star guard Kyrie Irving likely to miss much of next season due to injury, bringing in a player like Holiday does make a lot of sense. Holiday could run the offense while providing the Mavericks with a solid two-way guard.
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While Holiday isn’t the same player that he once was, he can still provide a spark to a team. With Holiday, Davis, Flagg, and Klay Thompson, the Mavericks could contend in the Western Conference.
The Celtics will be looking to shed salary this summer, and the Mavericks could be a perfect trading partner. Boston would get some nice pieces in Gafford and Washington to help them build the team forward.
Even the Nets would get a massive expiring deal in Porziņģis, as well as some extra draft capital for the future. All in all, this does seem like a good trade for all sides.
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