JaVale McGee leads list of Dallas Mavericks eligible to trade on Dec. 15

The Dallas Mavericks are off to a surprising 11-11 start that has seen them lose to the three worst teams in the NBA. They had lost six of their last eight games before dominating the Knicks on Saturday afternoon. Dallas has been plagued by poor shooting, rebounding woes, and inconsistent defense to be flirting with the play-in tournament during the first quarter of the season.

Fans have been clamoring for the Mavericks to put more talent around Luka Doncic. Number 77 is producing MVP numbers, but he won’t win the award if the team does not step up their winning.

Teams can make trades right now, but the market will turn wide open on Dec. 15. On that date, teams can begin dealing players that signed in the offseason. It opens up multiple players on nearly every team and should jumpstart the talks leading into February’s deadline. Here are the two Mavs that become eligible to be traded on Dec. 15, and a look at the odds they get dealt.

JaVale McGee leads the list of Dallas Mavericks eligible to trade on Dec. 15

The Mavs used the majority of their taxpayer mid-level exception to sign JaVale McGee this summer. The seven-foot big man was brought in to help solve the team’s rebounding and rim protection woes, but he has struggled mightily in Dallas. McGee opened the season as the starting center, but he has quickly dropped to the fringes of the rotation and has not played more than seven minutes in each of the last six games.

The Mavs will certainly explore the market on McGee, but his three-year contract worth just over $17.2 million is a drawback for teams inquiring. The 34-year-old big man thrives playing drop coverage, but that is not a scheme Dallas wants to use. He is likely a better fit elsewhere, but McGee will likely stick with the Mavericks because he has multiple years left on his contract.

Theo Pinson is also eligible to be traded on Dec. 15, but he has the right to veto any deal because he signed a one-year contract. The Mavericks signed Pinson for his locker room presence and ability to impact the game from the bench. They would consider trading him to make the math work on a deal, but Dallas is unlikely to be actively shopping him because of his limited trade value.

Will the Dallas Mavericks make a trade before the deadline to improve the roster around Luka Doncic? They are unlikely to move a first-round pick, so they can hunt for a second star this summer. Dallas could make some minor moves, but only if they find the right deals. Stay tuned to find out.