Grade the Trade: Mavericks land Warriors forward in blockbuster proposal
By Will Miller
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Grading the trade for the Dallas Mavericks
Despite the negative perception of Andrew Wiggins from large chunks of the basketball word, the former No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft would help this Mavericks team a lot.
Wiggins is extremely lengthy and has a prime muscular frame for a wing defender in the league, and those physical attributes are readily apparent when you turn on the film. Wiggins can defend 1-4, and he could be Dallas' long coveted piece in terms of finding a wing capable of guarding some of the taller dynamic wings in the league.
Wiggins in shooting a rough 29.6 percent from 3-point land, but in Dallas' offense he should get more open looks compared to in Golden State given the playmaking ability of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. Wiggins' slashing ability would be extremely helpful as well as there's not much of a fall-off from an athletic perspective between him and Mavericks' current starting four-man Derrick Jones Jr .
There may be better options on the market for Dallas as far as finding defensive oriented wings goes, but if Wiggins was even average offensively than this trade would be a huge win for Dallas. Third-year player Moses Moody's inclusion in this trade makes it extremely enticing for Dallas, as Moody has great length at 6-foot-6 and a lot of potential to become a good defender one day.
The Mavericks would part with Olivier-Maxence Prosper in this trade which would make many fans' head scratch, but Moody arguably has more potential overall as a player. Moody is averaging 8.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in only a mere 13.7 minutes per game. He's fallen out of place of Steve Kerr's nightly rotation in favor of veterans, but he'd almost certainly have a role for Dallas off the bench, and may even give Josh Green a run for his money for the starting spot given his abilities as a one-on-one scorer.
Potential starting lineup: Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Josh Green, Andrew Wiggins, Dereck Lively II
The Mavericks would have a much more complete roster if they made this trade, and could easily suffice without Kleber and Holmes as they've proven all season. Prosper has a lot of potential as a player so things could go haywire for Dallas in the long run, but they aren't giving up any substantial draft capital in this trade and come away with their long-sought defender.
Wiggins and Moody would be a great haul for the price Dallas is paying, but Dallas does assume some subtle risk with how bad Wiggins has played offensively this season, so they receive an A- in this trade
Open up room for another big on buyout market. Dallas Mavericks. Mavericks' grade, Wiggins to Mavs. A-. Get coveted defender in Wiggins
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