Dallas Mavericks: Two trade ideas with New Orleans Pelicans

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DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 9: Andre Drummond #0 of the Detroit Pistons and Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans stand on the court during the game on December 9, 2018 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Can the Mavericks end up with AD?

This trade package is highly unlikely to go through, but the deal itself isn’t the worst. The idea of a three-way deal between the Mavs, Pelicans and Pistons was brought to me by Evan Siegel, contributor here at The Smoking Cuban. I made a few minor tweaks to the deal he proposed and this is what I came up with.

Pistons Pros: The Pistons get two young pieces in Dennis Smith Jr. and Julius Randle. They also get a little veteran leadership from Wesley Matthews to go along with his expiring contract. All of this for Andre Drummond who, despite being a very good player, is probably never going to hit superstar level.

Pistons Cons: Detroit would be helping another team acquire Anthony Davis which would be disheartening by itself. Aside from that, the truth is that they would not be getting anyone in the deal that is better than Drummond, but they would fit better alongside Blake Griffin.

Pelicans Pros: The biggest part of the deal is, of course, the hardest one to sell. Anthony Davis is a generational talent and will likely be in the MVP conversation for years to come. If the Pels decide that they have enjoyed winning and want to continue to do so this year, a deal for a solid Harrison Barnes and a borderline All-Star in Drummond.

Pelicans Cons: I mean, they would be losing Anthony Davis. Regardless of the fact that he requested the trade, there are only a handful of players in the league that could take on what Anthony Davis did for that team and none of them carry the excitement of being a guy drafted by the Pelicans franchise.

Mavericks Pros: The Mavericks obviously benefit the most from this deal. Anthony Davis is a threat from anywhere on the court on both ends and pairing him with Luka Doncic would be a dream come true for the Mavs. Solomon Hill is a serviceable player but he is just a throw-in to make money work.

Mavericks Cons: I guess the only con is the possibility that the Mavs acquire Davis and he doesn’t like it here. A first round pick and multiple talented players for 1.5 years of Anthony Davis would be painful. Other than that, the Mavs obviously are getting the best deal in the trade.

The chances of this trade actually happening are next to, but not far from, none. As nice as it would be for Dallas to be able to acquire a star player next to Luka, I don’t think that player is Anthony Davis.

Next: A perfect backcourt pair for Luka

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