Grade the Trade: Mavericks land All-Star center in 3-team deal

The Dallas Mavericks have a ton of interesting decisions to make this summer.

Obviously, everything starts with Kyrie Irving. Dallas gave up a ton of assets to bring him in at the trade deadline this past year, and losing him for nothing would be a complete and utter disaster.

Re-signing him should top the Mavericks’ priority list heading into the summer, and rightfully so. But past that, they still have a lot of work to do if they want to compete for a championship behind Luka Doncic.

The rumors of a potential LeBron James trade are likely going to stay just that - rumors - meaning Dallas will need to focus their efforts on putting winning pieces around Irving and Doncic.

Free agency will be a big part of that, but perhaps more importantly, so will the trade market. Dallas has some solid assets to work with this summer as they attempt to bolster their roster.

Grade the Trade: Mavericks land All-Star center in 3-team deal

First and foremost, the Mavericks own the 10th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, which they are reportedly looking to trade. That will be a valuable asset to some rebuilding teams around the league.

They also have guys like Josh Green and Jaden Hardy. While they may not be the most valuable young players in the league, they could be nice pieces in a trade.

Alex Schiffer of The Athletic (subscription required) concocted a three-team deal that would see the Mavericks address their desperate need for a starting-caliber center.

Let’s take a look at what Schiffer cooked up and grade it from each team’s perspective. (Also check out King James Gospel's Caleb Crowley's grade.)

The three-team Mavericks trade by Alex Schiffer

This past season, the center position was a revolving door for the Dallas Mavericks, and in this deal, they would finally land a center who could be their full-time starter in Jarrett Allen.

Mavericks receive: Jarrett Allen

Cavaliers receive: Royce O’Neale, Dorian Finney-Smith

Nets receive: Josh Green, 10th pick in 2023 NBA Draft

Allen just wrapped up a solid season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but his performance in the postseason left a lot to be desired. Combined with the Cavaliers’ need for wing depth, a trade has been a point of discussion amongst fans of the team.

Both Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith are starting-caliber wings. They are two of the most plug-and-play guys in the league, as Mavericks fans should be familiar with when it comes to the latter.

O’Neale and Finney-Smith are high-level defenders, can hit the three-ball consistently, and are very comfortable playing off the ball around stars.

Josh Green would also be involved in this deal, which would be a big-time loss for the Mavericks. The 22-year-old oozes defensive potential, and his three-point shot is finally coming around.

In this proposed deal, Dallas would be utilizing the 10th pick to address a major need on the roster, giving it to a team who could use the selection a bit more than them.

But what would each team think of this trade?

Grading the trade for the Cleveland Cavaliers

Trading Jarrett Allen would be a big deal for the Cleveland Cavaliers, as just a couple of seasons ago, he was an All-Star, and they’ve found a ton of success playing him alongside Evan Mobley.

With those two leading the way in the frontcourt, the Cavaliers were the best defensive team in the NBA despite starting two undersized guards in Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.

However, the Cavaliers' severe lack of wing depth finally caught up to them in the playoffs, as their offense ground to a halt. In turn, exploring potential trades involving Allen could be worth it.

In this deal, they would be getting two players who could be a perfect fit on their roster. Both of them could start, and Mobley could bump up to the center position (though he would have to put on some weight).

Both Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith are, as mentioned, elite 3&D guys, which is the exact archetype of player the Cavaliers should be trying to trade for this offseason.

The real question is, should they be willing to give up their star center in order to fill that void? Unless they can land a replacement center, the answer is probably no, but it’s an interesting proposition.

Potential starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale, Dorian Finney-Smith, Evan Mobley

Grade: C+

Grading the trade for the Brooklyn Nets

Everything changed for the Brooklyn Nets this past season. They went from one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving leading the charge, to a rebuilding team.

They moved Durant to the Phoenix Suns and shipped Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, getting back a ton of assets in return, with the biggest being Mikal Bridges, who looks like an All-Star talent.

Brooklyn is in a weird spot, though, as they don’t own their own draft picks. They traded almost all of them in the trade for James Harden a couple of seasons ago.

So, in reality, Brooklyn has no reason to tank. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be looking to add potential-filled young pieces to their roster.

That’s exactly what they would be doing in this deal, landing Josh Green as yet another intriguing 3&D wing alongside Bridges and Cameron Johnson, who they also got back in the Durant deal.

Green showed some serious potential with the Dallas Mavericks, and while his ceiling may be a high-level role player, it would be worth it for the Nets to take a chance on him and find that out.

More importantly, the Nets would land the 10th pick in this deal. They currently have two first-round picks, but they sit at 20 and 21. This would give them a chance to pick in the lottery and land a potential star.

Potential starting lineup: Spencer Dinwiddie, Josh Green, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Nicolas Claxton

Grade: A-

Grading the trade for the Dallas Mavericks

Finally, the Dallas Mavericks would come away with an All-Star-caliber center in this deal. Jarrett Allen just might be the perfect guy for them to pair alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

This past season, the Mavericks ran out Dwight Powell, JaVale McGee, Christian Wood, and Maxi Kleber at the center position. They tested out so many guys at the center position, they might as well have thrown Facundo Campazzo at the five.

Adding Allen to the mix would finally solve their center problem, and the 25-year-old big man is on a stellar contract, too, set to make just $20 million in each of the next three seasons.

Not only would he be a great lob threat and pick-n-roll guy next to two of the league’s best ball-handlers, but his defensive presence could help elevate the Mavericks to where they need to be.

Having his presence at the rim would be a dream come true for Jason Kidd. If the Mavericks want to have any hopes of competing for a championship, things need to improve on the defensive end.

The 6-foot-11 center is a great rebounder, a solid shot-blocker, and will never need the ball in his hands to be effective. And while giving up Josh Green and the 10th pick may sting, getting Allen would be worth it.

Potential starting lineup: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Reggie Bullock, Maxi Kleber, Jarrett Allen

Grade: A