Bringing Kevin Martin to Dallas

Could the veteran sharpshooter Kevin Martin ever find his way to the Dallas Mavericks this coming season?

With a little over a month until the NBA trade deadline, rumors are already starting to swirl around the league about bigger named players being on the move. From Dwight Howard to Carmelo Anthony, trade talk will only continue to intensify in the coming weeks.

In somewhat of a lesser name, Kevin Martin has found himself on the trade block in Minnesota as the Timberwolves look to increase the minutes of their younger players. Martin has since received five healthy consecutive DNP’s as rumors fly about an impending trade out of Minny.

So should the Mavs come calling?

Yes, yes, and more yes.

The Package

In last week’s podcast, we discussed about the possibility of trading for Martin and what exactly would work financially and logically for both sides.

After playing around on ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine, the deal is simple.

Raymond Felton and Dwight Powell in exchange for Kevin Martin.

Felton would give Minnesota a legit backup to the injury plagued Ricky Rubio who could also spend some time playing off the ball in the second unit.

He would also provide cap relief as he will be a free agent at the end of the year (compared to Martin, who has a player option for over 7 million next season).

Powell, on the other hand, gives the Timberwolves whatever they think of him. He is a young budding player that can battle for minutes at the power forward spot behind Kevin Garnett, he can be flipped to another team for another asset, or he can simply be cap relief for next year as he will be a free agent.

The Timberwolves might have a better offer on the table, but if they are looking for cap relief next summer and a chance at a younger asset, this could be appealing. Plus, the asking price for Martin can’t be too high for an 11 year veteran who has five healthy scratches.

The Fit

Something I have been advocating for the Mavs to obtain, that I really thought Devin Harris would provide, is a bonified 6th man who can put the ball in the basket.

Yes, the Mavericks have been plagued with injuries that has switched up the rotation throughout the season, but having a consistent scoring threat off the bench would give the Mavs a whole different element in the second unit.

With Chandler Parsons back into the starting lineup, Felton has found himself back to the bench where he is being called upon to score the basketball. Martin would slide right into the Felton role of the second unit where he would team up with J.J. Barea and Devin Harris on the wing.

With Dwight Powell averaging eight points and five rebounds, the Mavs would look to replace his role through a combination of JaVale McGee, Jeremy Evans, and Charlie Villanueva.

Long-Term

Martin is a 11 year veteran who is making a little over seven million this season. He has a player option for next season that will most likely be picked up by the veteran.

Felton and Powell both have contracts that come off the books after this season. Thus giving the Mavs more cap flexibility.

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Martin, assuming he would opt into his final year, would take a small chunk out of the Mavs’ cap space next summer.

The Impact

Martin is a career 38% shooter from behind the arc while averaging 17.8 points over the course of his 11 years in the league.

Even in the 26 games he has played this season, he’s averaging 12 points a game in his diminished role. This average would be the 4th leading scorer for the Mavericks if he was in Dallas and only .8 points behind Wesley Matthews.

The Mavericks are also 7th in the league in three-point field goal attempts, but come in at 17th in the league in three-point percentage. Martin would capitalize on the three-point attempts while looking to up the team’s percentage as a whole.

There are some nights that the Mavericks seem to really struggle to find baskets. The offense seems to stall out and suddenly the Mavs are relying heavily on the shoulders of Dirk Nowitzki. Martin would give the Mavs another scoring option that can come off the bench and put up 15 points a night.

So what do you think? Would you do this deal?