Grade the Trade: Mavericks land $39 million forward in 4-player mock deal

Grading the trade for the Dallas Mavericks

This is a typical type of trade seen across the association. Dallas would be giving up two players, who they have been rumored to be looking to trade away in Tim Hardaway Jr. and JaVale McGee.

On the other end, the Mavs would be receiving a player who they have coveted for some time now in Bojan Bogdanovic. Additionally, Dallas would be receiving a player whom the Pistons are looking to deal in Killian Hayes.

The only additional trade fodder would be two second-round picks to sweeten the deal for Detroit.

Adding Bogdanovic would help the Dallas forward rotation. As previously mentioned, the Mavs lack forwards, even after adding Grant Williams via trade.

The Mavs only have two players who can match up with opposing team's forwards. Those players both happen to be new editions: Williams and 2023 draft pick, Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Luka Doncic will be tasked with defending forwards, but will ultimately defend the worst player on the floor.

Bogdanovic, while known for his shooting, is a decent perimeter defender. His advanced defensive statistics are almost identical to Hardaway Jr. But, what he does provide is the necessary height and weight to defend burlier forwards and even smaller bigs.

On the offensive end is where Bogdanovic will make his mark. He finished in the top 35 of all players in offensive box plus/minus at 2.5, ahead of the likes of Paul George and Brandon Ingram to name a few. Meanwhile, Hardaway Jr. finished with -0.4 OBPM, good for 120th in the league.

Furthermore, Bogdanovic is a versatile, yet extremely efficient offensive player. Last season, the forward averaged 21.6 points per game. He shot 48.8% shooting from the floor on 14.9 attempts, 41.1% from behind the arc on 6.0 attempts, and 88.4% from the line on 5.1 attempts per game.

Along with Bogdanovic would come Hayes. The 22-year-old guard is still ascending in this league. He has gotten ample time to develop while playing for the lowly Pistons and looks like he could be a quality guard in the right situation.

Hayes has yet to shoot above 40% from the floor or 30% from three, which is staggering, to say the least. But, Hayes is already a good passer. He has averaged at least four assists in every season, and most notably, 6.2 assists per game this past season.

Unlike Bogdanovic, Hayes would make his mark on the defensive end. Among all guards, he ranked 11th in steal percentage and 26th in block percentage in the NBA this past year. He is a big guard, listed at 6-foot-5 and 195 lbs. Ideally, Hayes could defend all guards and even some smaller wings.

Potential starting lineup: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Bojan Bogdanovic, Grant Williams, Dwight Powell

Dallas would receive a B for this trade. Getting rid of Hardaway Jr. and McGee is something the Mavs have been wanting to do for some time now. Acquiring Bogdanovic would be a slight upgrade over Hardaway Jr., but keep in mind, he is 34 years old.

Adding Hayes would help round out the roster, as Dallas doesn't necessarily have a backup point guard. However, giving up their last two second-round picks would be a tough pill to swallow.