Two Trades the Dallas Mavericks Could Make in Draft

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CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 19: Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball against Terry Rozier #12 of the Boston Celtics in the first half during Game Three of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on May 19, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Cleveland Makes a Move to Keep LeBron

Dallas gets: Tristan Thompson, #8 pick

Cleveland gets: Wesley Matthews, #33 pick

This trade is a little bit more straightforward and has one very specific thing that has to happen before it would even have a chance to work. That one specific thing is that LeBron James would have to make it clear that he wants to stay in Cleveland.

The likelihood of that alone is questionable, but Dallas may have a good offer available that would appeal to to GM LeBron and the Cavs organization. Let’s take a look at how things went this year.

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The Cavaliers are obviously still in the playoffs, but this season has not gone according to plan. After finishing with a 50-32 record and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the Cavs struggles through a 7-game series against the Pacers.

After beating up on the Raptors, they now find themselves in a 2-1 hole against the Celtics. A lot of this isn’t because the team around LeBron has been underperforming on almost a nightly basis. James needs help and he would love to have a veteran defensive-minded player that won’t ask any questions.

That’s where Wes Matthews comes in. Wes is exactly the type of player that LeBron would love to play with. Plus, Cleveland would get out of the terrible Tristan Thompson contract which is a big plus for them.

Dallas on the other hand would get off of Wes’ contract but would gain a bad contract for year’s to come. This is not ideal for a quick rebuild so again, it would take an additional 2-3 years. Dallas would also acquire the 8th pick in the draft which they could use to potentially grab one of the Bridges or Michael Porter Jr. if he drops that far.

Next: Should the Dallas Mavericks Entertain Trade Offers?

These trades have flaws just like any other trade, but both of these are believable and would give Dallas another lottery pick this season. If that’s the goal, then it works out great for the Mavs.