Mavericks' most aggressive move during trade season would infuriate fans

With seven wins to show for their last 11 games, and Cooper Flagg having dropped the latest hint of his superstar ascension, it's perhaps possible for the Dallas Mavericks to talk themselves into buying during the NBA's ongoing trade season.

But with the Mavericks being left out of the latest play-in tournament picture in the fully loaded West, and Kyrie Irving's return more theoretical excitement than concrete reality, a major move before the deadline would almost certainly entail selling. Even if there's some internal optimism about what this club could do at full-strength, there can't be enough of it to justify making a major addition.

A significant subtraction, though? That could absolutely be in the cards. The Mavericks would have to nail their return, though, and that'll be tough to engineer despite Anthony Davis doing what he can to boost his trade value. With injury issues behind him and a mountain of money still ahead, that value isn't anywhere near rich enough to cushion the blow of losing the primary pickup from last season's Luka Doncic deal.

If the Mavericks take the seller's route, expect them to make the Pistons a preferred contact. Any seller would love to get its hands on what Detroit has to offer, especially if the most asset-rich teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are (understandably) content with what they have and uninterested in shaking things up.

So, what's the problem for Dallas here? It's quite simple: Because the Brow has a bit of a murky trade market, the Mavericks would be bringing in exactly none of the Pistons' best assets.

No Ausar Thompson. No Jalen Duren. No Ron Holland III. No Isaiah Stewart. No first-round pick conveyed so far into the future that it would outlast Cade Cunningham's ascension or change hands after Detroit would need to make any financially-driven cuts to its core.

To be clear, that wouldn't make this an insulting offer for the Pistons to present. Ivey has flashed some high-end scoring punch and strong secondary creation when healthy. There's certainly a universe in which he'd be a long-term fit next to Flagg. And any unprotected first-round pick always raises a few eyebrows, since unpredictable turbulence can always skyrocket its value. (Remember when no one seemed to care about the Indiana Pacers reacquiring their 2026 first? How absurdly genius does that deal look now?)

Harris offers enough plug-and-play value as a proven vet that Dallas could potentially flip him again before the deadline before additional assets. If that deal didn't come together, the Mavs would still find financial relief from his $26.6 million expiring salary. LeVert, finally, would provide either $14.8 million of relief after next season or perhaps return to form before then and also be movable for an asset or two.

The return could be rock-solid. The Mavericks just need to aim higher than that.

Since Dallas swapped out Doncic for Davis, the latter is now its best hope for collecting as many roster-building tools as possible. If this is all he'd bring back—and there's a good chance it might be—fans might prefer just keeping him around and hoping Irving gets healthy in time to salvage this season and give Flagg the chance to compete for something of substance.