Why Dallas Mavericks fans should expect the unexpected at the trade deadline

The Dallas Mavericks want to improve their roster around Luka Doncic before the Feb. 9 trade deadline. They have clear needs, including adding another playmaker and upgrading at the five. Dallas is in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference, and even the smallest upgrade could be the difference in finishing in the top six or having to go through the play-in tournament.

The Mavs are facing an obstacle too. They owe their 2023 first-round pick to the New York Knicks from the original Kristaps Porzingis trade with a top-ten protection. That protection prevents Dallas from trading their 2025 first-rounder unless they can convince the Knicks to remove it. The Mavericks are just five months away from having a full cupboard of picks and the ability to chase a second star to pair with Luka Doncic.

Consider that reason number one why fans should expect the unexpected at the 2023 trade deadline from the Mavs. The brief history of the current front office, the market, and the team's desires all point to something happening out of the blue, and here is a look at why.

Dallas Mavericks made an unexpected trade at last season's deadline

This is the second trade deadline for Nico Harrison as general manager of the Mavs, and he pulled off a deadline-day blockbuster that propelled the team to the conference finals in year one. The first Kristaps Porzingis rumor came out late Wednesday night just hours before the deadline, and by the horn, he was headed to Washington with Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans coming back to Dallas.

There were zero rumors that the Mavericks were interested in Dinwiddie or Bertans. Nothing was linking the two teams on the trade front. Both sides saw a deal that improved their rosters, so they agreed on a trade. It was unexpected, but it happened, and the Mavs will look to make it happen again this year.