Today, our guy Grant Afseth wrote about a hypothetical three-way trade involving the Mavs that was mentioned by Bleacher Report recently. I don’t usually like the hypothetical trades BR comes up with for the Mavs, but this one actually makes a lot of sense to me, and it could be the best realistic return the Mavs could get for KP if they do trade him. The proposed trade was:
Pacers get: CJ McCollum
Blazers get: Kristaps Porzingis
Mavs get: Myles Turner, Jeremy Lamb, and a protected first round pick (via Indy)
The first round pick part might be a stretch, but if we’re just looking at the players involved, I think it works and fills needs for each team. A “perfect storm” kind of trade if you will.
The Pacers shopped Lamb all last season, and Turner seems to always have his name in trade rumors year in and year out. I could see both of those players filling needs in Dallas while getting a fresh start. The Pacers likely wouldn’t want Porzingis, given that part of the reason they’d trade Turner in the first place is because they’d likely want to avoid playing two centers, Turner and Sabonis, at the same time. So getting McCollum in this deal to pair with Malcom Brogdon would work out nicely for them. Not to mention Rick Carlisle is the coach in Indy now, so I doubt he’d vouch much for KP.
The Dame situation in Portland has felt uneasy all offseason, and it just kind of feels like a split is inevitable unless Portland can make a big move to shake things up. Trading for Porzingis is risky, but it’s a move that I could see the Blazers making as a last-ditch effort to keep Dame happy where he’s at. McCollum isn’t getting any younger, and he’s had his own injury issues over the last year or so, and KP is coming off his first ever fully healthy offseason. Would they take a chance on him? I feel like they would.
If you’re the Mavs, would you do this? Although I think KP will be better this season than he was last year, I think I’d still do it. Turner does pretty much everything KP does, except he’s a better shot blocker and doesn’t score as many points per game, which is fine. The Mavs need a guy at center like that who is used to playing within his role and is ok with accepting that role.
Pacers get: CJ McCollum
Blazers get: Kristaps Porzingis
Mavs get: Myles Turner, Jeremy Lamb, and a protected first round pick (via Indy)
The first round pick part might be a stretch, but if we’re just looking at the players involved, I think it works and fills needs for each team. A “perfect storm” kind of trade if you will.
The Pacers shopped Lamb all last season, and Turner seems to always have his name in trade rumors year in and year out. I could see both of those players filling needs in Dallas while getting a fresh start. The Pacers likely wouldn’t want Porzingis, given that part of the reason they’d trade Turner in the first place is because they’d likely want to avoid playing two centers, Turner and Sabonis, at the same time. So getting McCollum in this deal to pair with Malcom Brogdon would work out nicely for them. Not to mention Rick Carlisle is the coach in Indy now, so I doubt he’d vouch much for KP.
The Dame situation in Portland has felt uneasy all offseason, and it just kind of feels like a split is inevitable unless Portland can make a big move to shake things up. Trading for Porzingis is risky, but it’s a move that I could see the Blazers making as a last-ditch effort to keep Dame happy where he’s at. McCollum isn’t getting any younger, and he’s had his own injury issues over the last year or so, and KP is coming off his first ever fully healthy offseason. Would they take a chance on him? I feel like they would.
If you’re the Mavs, would you do this? Although I think KP will be better this season than he was last year, I think I’d still do it. Turner does pretty much everything KP does, except he’s a better shot blocker and doesn’t score as many points per game, which is fine. The Mavs need a guy at center like that who is used to playing within his role and is ok with accepting that role.
