Dallas Mavericks center goes viral for heartwarming gesture amid trade rumors
By Noah Weber
![Feb 11, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks center JaVale McGee (00) handles the Feb 11, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks center JaVale McGee (00) handles the](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5842,h_3286,x_0,y_76/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/83/01h5na7my75evvy877ke.jpg)
The Dallas Mavericks are in an interesting spot when it comes to their center position.
They currently have four centers on their roster in JaVale McGee, Dereck Lively II, Richaun Holmes, and Dwight Powell, but none of these centers are necessarily the type of center fans wanted to go into the season with.
Fans want a new big that is a high-level starter and strengthens their rotation. Although it looks like Powell could start again this season, the Mavs have been in some trade rumors for players like Clint Capela and Deandre Ayton over the last month.
Dallas Mavericks center goes viral for heartwarming gesture amid trade rumors
While the Mavericks may trade for a new center, it looks like they'll be moving one as well. McGee will likely get waived or traded at some point over the next few months, but that's not stopping him from giving back to the community.
TikTok star Zachary Dereniowski and McGee collaborated during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and made a young fan's day.
A young basketball fan named Connor and his mother Carla were in Las Vegas for a basketball tournament, but what they left and the experience they had off the court was much bigger than the game of basketball.
Dereniowski approached Connor and Carla on the street in Las Vegas and offered him a Luka Doncic Mavs jersey. He then took them both to a shoe store where McGee was waiting to surprise Carla and Connor. McGee was smiling ear-to-ear as he approached Connor, and he was already proudly sporting the Doncic jersey that he received just a while before.
They also gifted Connor a pair of shoes, Summer League tickets, and $1,000 for his mom. This was an awesome gesture by McGee and Dereniowski, even during a time when McGee doesn't know where he'll be playing next season.
In all, Connor and his mom are going home with a Luka Doncic jersey, a meet-and-greet with JaVale McGee, and $1,000 cash. This was a moment that Connor will cherish forever as McGee and Dereniowski gave him an unforgettable afternoon.
Dereniowski is known for making these type of TikToks in which he surprises families with sports experiences, and this video with Connor was heartwarming and shows how much a gesture like this can mean to someone.
Stay tuned for any trade or free agency news surrounding the Mavs and McGee.
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