DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks have been active this offseason as they team re-tools the roster around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Most recently, the Mavs acquired Grant Williams using a sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics, but they are not done yet with making further changes.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavs are still expected to trade Tim Hardaway Jr. and move on from JaVale McGee either via trade, or by release.
“Trading Tim Hardaway Jr. and either trading or releasing JaVale McGee remain expected moves beyond all of the action in North Texas so far.”
Hardaway currently finds himself in a logjam on the perimeter after the Mavs acquired Seth Curry in addition to already having Jaden Hardy. It could prove challenging to field sufficient defensive personnel on the perimeter at times. Additionally, Josh Green is likely to be leaned on to take a leap next season on the wing.
The Mavs recently were stifled in their efforts to land Matisse Thybulle in restricted free agency after the Portland Trail Blazers matched the three-year, $33 million offer sheet he signed. Such a move telegraphed Dallas’ desire to continue to add talent on the wing around Doncic and Irving.
Before the NBA Draft, Hardaway had been discussed in a potential trade involving the Mavs and the Detroit Pistons. The general framework of the reported deal involved Dallas sending out Hardaway and the 10th pick in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and the 31st pick. No move ended up occurring.
It was a struggle for McGee to find consistent playing time last season after entering with a promised starting role. He most frequently found himself being out of the rotation after proving to not make the expected impact after signing a three-year, $20.1 million contract.
One option the Mavs could leverage to create more financial flexibility even if a trade doesn’t transpire would be to waive McGee and stretch his remaining salary. Such a maneuver could create $3.4 million in additional spending power as Dallas has yet to use its non-taxpayer midlevel exception.
