Massive obstacle threatens Mavericks' hopes of landing dream trade target

The NBA's trade deadline is just over two weeks away (February 6), and the Dallas Mavericks are a team that is expected to be active as they search the open market to add perimeter defense and frontcourt depth ahead of the final stretch of the season.

Nico Harrison knows as well as anyone that one move can turn a team's season around, and while the Mavericks aren't desperate to make a huge upgrade to their roster considering how dominant they've been when fully healthy, it's also clear that they need one more wing to truly compete with the best teams in the Western Conference. Harrison isn't going to make a desperate move just because the team is injured, but he also isn't going to be content. He's always looking for ways to improve Dallas' roster, and this season won't be any different.

It has been rumored that Dallas is open to trading Daniel Gafford if the return includes an elite perimeter defender, and one player who happens to match that description is Herbert Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Trading for Jones may be an impossible dream for the Mavericks

It's known that Dallas has significant interest in trading for Jones, and adding him to this current roster would give the Mavericks amazing wing depth and added defense. This season for the Pelicans, Jones is averaging 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from downtown, and he remains one of the best all-around defenders in the league when he's on the floor. Despite the undeniable potential fit in Dallas, a major roadblock stands in the way of Harrison turning this dream into a reality.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Pelicans have been "consistently discouraging trade interest (subscription required) in its perimeter defensive ace," meaning that they aren't looking to trade Jones. He is on one of the best contracts in the NBA (four-year, $54 million), and he is only in the second year of that deal. Team-friendly contracts are one of the most important assets in the NBA considering how the new CBA works, and Dallas would have to give up a pretty penny in order to get Jones to Big D.

The Mavericks would likely have to give up at least one or both of their tradable first-round picks to get New Orleans to pick up the phone, and it's almost guaranteed that they'd have to give up at least one valuable rotation player. The Pelicans aren't going to give up their lockdown defender for nothing, and they have no inclination to move him since he is one of the franchise's cornerstones.

On top of New Orleans' intent on keeping Jones and letting teams know not to pursue him, he also happens to be dealing with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Jones is out indefinitely, and if the Mavericks are looking for someone who can contribute right away, he isn't the answer. This doesn't mean that Dallas can't still swoop in and make a move for him, but it must be noted that he isn't healthy, and it would take some time for him to get acclimated to the team even once he's healthy.

Anything is possible with Gafford's name entering early trade rumors and Dallas showing interest in Jones, but it's going to be a long battle for the Mavs to land the one-time First Team All-Defense wing from the Pelicans.