The Dallas Mavericks haven’t had a reliable big man to partner Luka Doncic since the star guard entered the NBA. The club has tried out Kristaps Porzingis, Christian Wood, JaVale McGee, Dwight Powell and more at the position, but none have truly clicked with the Slovenian star.
Now, they’re trying to address the position via the draft route, selecting 7’1” Dereck Lively II out of Duke on draft night. But while the upside is there, Lively projects to be a work in progress, and Dallas is firmly in “win now” mode, making for an awkward marriage out of the gates.
To put things in perspective, Doncic led the Mavs in rebounding last season- averaging 8.6 boards per game. Christian Wood came in second with 7.3 rebounds across 67 regular-season contests, although he led the team with 1.1 blocks per game. As a team, Dallas ranked last in points in the paint- averaging 42.8 points per game in 2022-23.
While Wood’s numbers (16.6 points on 51.5% field goal shooting) were decent last season, it’s clear they weren’t enough to help the Mavs even reach the play-in tournament despite having a backcourt featuring Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
When you’re playing in a hotly-contested Western Conference loaded with bigs such as Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Deandre Ayton, and Domantas Sabonis, the Mavs need to fill the void if they intend to contend this year. And that’s without mentioning number 1 overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama who went to the lowly Spurs.
Wood just finished a one-season run with the Mavs after completing a three-year deal he previously signed with the Houston Rockets. He’s currently an unrestricted free agent, and it’s unclear if Dallas plans to bring him back this fall. Regardless, fans have seen this movie before, and while Wood may be a good stop gap, it’s clear he isn’t the long term solution for the Mavs.
Can the Mavs Trade for KAT?
Karl Anthony-Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves is entering the final season of a five-year deal he signed in 2019, and is set to earn $36M dollars in 2023-2024. While KAT said last June he wants to stay in Minnesota, the on court results for Minnesota have been less than ideal during his tenure with the team.
Over the past eight seasons, the Wolves only reached the playoffs three times- and never made it past the first round. The T-Wolves roster is a bizarre lineup of good players, who don’t seem to fit together. Having both Towns and Rudy Gobert on the floor at the same time hasn’t worked, and sitting one of them creates the most expensive bench player in the association.
Many will argue that in order for Minnesota to reach their full potential, they need to turn the team over to Anthony Edwards, and build a roster around his skillset.
Edwards, the top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, averaged 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 45.9% field goal shooting. In their first-round loss against the Denver Nuggets, he averaged 31.6 points, 5.2 assists, five rebounds, two blocks, and 1.8 steals.
Gobert, acquired by Minnesota via a trade with the Utah Jazz, averaged 13.4 points, 11.6 rebounds (fourth-best in the NBA), 1.4 blocks, and 65.9% field goal shooting last season. He averaged 15 points, 12.2 rebounds, and one block against Nikola Jokic in the 2023 playoffs. The problem however is that he’s under contract for another two years, with a player option in 2025-26. All of these come at a price tag of $41M+ per season, making him extremely difficult to trade.
By contract, KAT is in his final season of a five-year deal, and is 4 years younger than his frontcourt teammate. He’s also a more proficient scorer and can stretch the floor like few other big men in the league can.
In short, he’s exactly what the Mavericks need at the moment.
In return for a floor spacer like Karl Anthony-Towns, the Mavs could look to ink Christian Wood to a sign-and-trade deal, while sending Tim Hardaway Jr., Jaden Hardy, and draft picks to Minnesota. Is it the best deal Minnesota can get for their biggest trade chip? Hard to say, but if things begin to go south this season for the T-Wolves, perhaps GM Tim Connelly begins to feel some pressure to make a splashy move.
If the trade were to happen, it would finally give Dallas something they haven’t had in a long time: a high-calibre big man who can shoot and put the ball on the floor. Mavs GM Nico Harrison would be well served to take a big swing over the coming weeks to avoid potentially burning another year of Luka’s prime with a roster full of holes.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.