Not a lot has gone right for the Dallas Mavericks since they won Game 6 of 2011 NBA Finals in Miami to take home their first and only championship. Several key players from that squad like Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd (New York), J.J. Barea (Minnesota) and DeShawn Stevenson (Atlanta via BK) have moved on. In addition, Dirk Nowitzki, the face of the franchise, is starting to show his age.
With plenty of expiring contracts on his team’s roster, Mark Cuban is making it clear that Dallas is looking to be a major player as we approach the NBA’s trade deadline. “There’s a 100 percent chance that we’re going to try to do something,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said (via RealGM.com courtesy of ESPNDallas). “Hopefully that (expiring contracts) will play to our advantage because (teams) can’t avoid looking at trades,” Cuban continued. “But I don’t have a preference one way or the other. I’m not going to do a trade just to do a trade, even if it’s a star….It’s hard to find just one guy who puts you over the top. It has to be somebody who gets us to the point where we could get back on track to where we want to be.”
Dallas has been rumored to be a potential destination for Dwight Howard if he opts to leave L.A. this offseason. With players like Howard and Chris Paul expected to be on the market this Summer, it will be interesting to see just how much cap flexibility Dallas is willing to give up at the trade deadline to be competitive this season.