NBA All-Star's rumored trade plea makes him a dream target for Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks have transformed their season in the midst of this recent stretch, as the Mavericks have won 11 of their last 12 games heading into their quarterfinal matchup in the Emirates NBA Cup versus the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

The Mavericks' recent surge has come off the heels of some stellar offensive production from Dallas' bench, as the Mavericks have curtailed recent injuries and illnesses with a next-man-up mentality. Now, fourth in the Western Conference, the Mavericks have put themselves in an idealistic position to give themselves home-court advantage once the playoffs roll around if they keep up this level of winning as the season continues.

Dallas' primary goal remains to get back to the NBA Finals, and based on the way their roster has performed recently, it seems like the Mavericks are truly on the precipice of getting back to the NBA's mountaintop. However, not all of Dallas' rotational pieces have contributed at a high enough level despite recent success, as veteran forward Maxi Kleber has been the victim of trade rumors recently.

With Kleber's name in the rumor mill, this provides the notion that President of Basketball Operations Nico Harrison is primed to make a move to solidify Dallas' roster ahead of another potential Finals run in 2025, with Harrison and company having until February 6 to ship out Kleber or make another trade.

Brandon Ingram would be perfect trade target for Mavericks

Given Kleber's $11 million that he's owed in each of these next two seasons, all signs are pointing toward Dallas acquiring a mid-tier rotational piece if they elect to trade Kleber in a one-for-one swap. If the Mavericks want to swing for the fences and expand a potential Kleber trade though, disgruntled New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram would be the perfect trade target for the Mavs.

Ingram has been in trade rumors since before last summer and is on a Pelicans team that has the worst record in the Western Conference at 5-20, and he reportedly "wants to be part of a winning competitive environment" per Shams Charania of ESPN, after Ingram recently switched his agency to Klutch Sports Group.

Ingram is currently in the final season of a five-year $158 million deal, and he's set to bring home $36 million this season. This along with the fact that Ingram would likely command a max extension or free agency deal with his prospective new team, is part of the reason that the Pelicans have struggled to trade Ingram over this past year, as many front offices likely don't think his game is translatable to his desired dollar amount.

With the Mavericks being in win-now mode though, trading for a 27-year-old dynamic wing scorer like Ingram could make the Mavericks unstoppable, as Ingram is currently averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game on 46.5/37.4/85.5 shooting splits.

The Mavericks would have to aggregate some salaries with Kleber to make this deal work, and they'd have to find a way to acquire some first or second-round picks to trade for Ingram as well, but this is likely the lowest his value could stoop for quite some time given the Pelicans' disastrous season.

If Dallas didn't sacrifice significant parts of their rotation in this deal, they'd have one of the most dynamic shot creation and playmaking lineups in the NBA, as defenses would be scrambling to try and contain the likes of Ingram, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, and Luka Doncic all at once.

Ingram recently suffered a left ankle sprain against the Thunder, but if this injury isn't serious, the Mavericks should definitely inquire about his services ahead of the February 6 trade deadline, despite how complex the mechanics of an Ingram trade may be.