Mavericks urged to make 'ambitious' trade with rival for 3-and-D wing

After five games, the Dallas Mavericks are sitting in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference as they are 3-2 and playing some of the best basketball in the Western Conference despite their seemingly flukey loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday night due to an awful start.

Despite dropping this game to the Rockets and their third game of the season to the Phoenix Suns last weekend, Dallas showed their full potential earlier this week in an intense win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. It looked like a completely different team from the one that took the floor on Halloween against Houston.

The Mavs' big three of Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, and Luka Doncic is looking like one of the best trios in the NBA when they're hitting shots, and the supporting cast is starting to step up. Dereck Lively II is hitting his stride and proving that he is the best center on the team, and Quentin Grimes snapped out of his slow start with a nine-point performance against the Timberwolves.

Everything should slowly start to come together for Dallas over the next few weeks, but that doesn't mean they won't look to get better as the season goes on.

Mavericks' newest suggested trade target is OKC's Kenrich Williams

The Mavs are seemingly always making trades at the trade deadline, and they could continue this trend this season. Dallas has done a great job of making moves at the trade deadline to strengthen their roster for the playoff push, and one NBA writer thinks that the Mavs should pursue a wing from one of their newer growing rivals, the Thunder.

Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey listed an "ambitious trade target for every NBA team" this season, and the Mavs' suggested trade target was Kenrich Williams of the Thunder. Williams hasn't played a game yet this season due to a knee injury that required him to have surgery back in September, and Bailey thinks that he would be a good fit on the Mavs next to Doncic and Irving.

Last season for Oklahoma City, Williams averaged 4.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 39.7 percent from downtown in 14.9 minutes per game. His minutes were way down from the season before, but he still remained an underrated part of the Thunder's rotation.

Williams' offensive game is highly dependent on the success of his catch-and-shoot 3-point shooting, but his off-ball cutting and scoring at the rim have quietly become some of the keys of his game over the last few years. He puts himself in the right spot to receive easy passes for layups when his teammates are driving, and both of these parts of his game would be maximized in Dallas.

On the other end of the floor, Williams would also be a big help for Dallas. Although he is only 6-foot-6, his intensity, strength, and fundamentals allow him to guard up effectively. He's not going to be someone who can always shut down the league's best fours, but he is versatile enough to where you can have him guard some power forwards when needed. His hustle and tenacity would make him a fan favorite in Dallas and he possesses many of the traits that make role players successful in Dallas.

Williams' two-way ability could make him the perfect fit in Dallas, and due to Maxi Kleber's constant injuries over the last few years, they may feel more inclined to add some insurance behind him at the trade deadline in the case he can't remain healthy once again.

The Mavs need some more depth at power forward, and although he's undersized, Williams could be the answer if the Thunder look to trade him.