Grade the Trade idea: Mavericks form dominant trio with massive blockbuster trade

The Dallas Mavericks had an excellent draft night, as they added four new players to their roster.

They drafted Dereck Lively II with the No. 12 pick after trading Davis Bertans and the No. 10 pick to move back two spots. Later in the draft, they made another trade with the Sacramento Kings that unexpectedly put them back in the first round. The Mavericks took Olivier-Maxence Prosper with the No. 24 pick and acquired Richaun Holmes from the trade.

They bolstered their defense with this trade, but it doesn't seem like the Mavericks are done making moves yet.

On draft night, the Mavericks reportedly tried to flip Holmes, JaVale McGee, and Tim Hardaway Jr. for Phoenix Suns' star Deandre Ayton. The Suns didn't want McGee in this trade as he has a bad contract and limits their flexibility, so they declined. These talks are on pause for now, as it seems the Suns are sticking with Ayton, but don't rule anything out yet.

The Dallas Mavericks addressed their biggest need of adding a rim protector in Lively II, but don't seem to be done as they've reportedly inquired about trading for a new frontcourt player multiple times. They've already called about Ayton, and the newest rumblings show they're interested in a dominant power forward from the Eastern Conference.

The Mavericks are nowhere close to being content with their roster and still need to make a few more moves to become serious contenders.

Here's a look at a trade between the Mavs and Raptors that gives the Mavs a third star and gives Toronto more depth.

Dallas acquires Pascal Siakam

Two of Toronto's best players, O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, have been in trade rumors over the last few months, and the team's core beyond Scottie Barnes is in question. Fred VanVleet and Jakob Poeltl are both free agents, and the team could look completely different when next season starts.

One way this team would look completely different is if they move Pascal Siakam. Michael Grange of Sportsnet reported that the Mavs called the Raptors about trading for him.

This mock trade between Dallas and Toronto lands Dallas their third star in Siakam (assuming Kyrie Irving re-signs) and gives Toronto depth and some young pieces.

Dallas has their trio set in Irving, Siakam, and Luka Doncic while the Raptors land a spark plug off the bench in Tim Hardaway Jr., a young guard with high potential in Jaden Hardy, and their new starting power forward in Maxi Kleber. Since Dallas is giving up so much of their core, Toronto allowed them to dump JaVale McGee's contract.

Toronto gains three players in this trade that can play over 20 minutes per night and a future asset in Dallas' 2027 first-round pick. The Raptors value their players as high as anyone in the league, but this trade offer could intrigue them enough to deal their superstar.

Here's a look at grades for both teams if they decide to make this trade.

Grading the trade for the Toronto Raptors

This trade would leave a sour taste in Raptors' fans' mouths, but with the new CBA coming in, they could want to have more flexibility to add elite role players into the mix to play with OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes.

The new CBA will hit teams harder than expected, and this trade gives the Raptors more options over the next few years.

The Raptors grab two score-first guards off the bench in Jaden Hardy and Tim Hardaway Jr. Both players can light up the scoreboard when they want to, and Hardy can create his own shot and is a great three-point shooter off the catch and off the dribble.

Along with these two guards, they grab a 3-and-D power forward in Maxi Kleber. He averaged 5.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game in the 37 games he played. Kleber was injured for a large majority of the season.

Kleber has been in Dallas his whole career and provides three-point shooting, hustle, and an all-around defensive game. He would be a valuable piece for them and would have the chance to immediately step into the starting lineup.

Potential starting lineup: Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, Maxi Kleber, Jakob Poeltl (if he re-signs)

This is a powerful starting lineup and lets the Raptors get a return on Siakam if they think he would leave after next season. All signs point to Siakam wanting to stay in Toronto, as it was reported that he wouldn't re-sign with the team that trades for him, but things can change quickly.

Grading the trade for the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks give up more than they'd want to, but it allows them to keep Reggie Bullock and Josh Green for wing depth. They could also use the mid-level exception on a wing (if they can create enough cap space) and also have Olivier-Maxence Prosper coming in as a rookie.

Regardless, this likely isn't a trade that the Mavericks would want to do. With the new CBA coming, it's already hard enough to build around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Adding Pascal Siakam into that mix would make it even harder.

There is also no guarantee that he'd re-sign.

In the short term, this trade could work wonders for the Mavs. They'd have a good defensive power forward to play with Doncic and Irving that can score at a high level. Siakam averaged 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.4 steals and blocks combined per game.

He can score whenever he wants and would give the Mavericks one of the best-scoring trios of all time. Siakam has also evolved as a passer and would be great with shooters around him.

If the Mavericks want to go all in next year, they make this trade. No signs have pointed to them doing that, as they made two selections in the 2023 NBA Draft, and I don't see them making a move for Siakam because they would be extremely limited in how they build around their three stars.

Potential starting lineup: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving (if he re-signs), Josh Green, Pascal Siakam, Richaun Holmes

It looks like the Mavericks will not be starting Richaun Holmes or Dereck Lively II, but for the sake of this trade, Holmes can start for now. They could also use some of their money from the mid-level exception or bi-annual exception. The Mavericks would benefit from adding a true starting center to avoid having Holmes as their starting big.

This move wouldn't be the best for the Mavericks in the long term. They would be in a tough place if Siakam decided to leave after next season and wouldn't have many other tradeable assets.

Stay tuned to see if the trade talks with Siakam and the Mavericks gain any traction. We'll have you covered with all the latest surrounding the Mavs.