Grade the Trade: Mavericks land 25-year-old defensive monster in mock deal

Grading the trade for the Dallas Mavericks

Defensively, the Dallas Mavericks left a lot to be desired this past season, and a team with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the way needs guys who can prevent that from happening.

OG Anunoby is the perfect player to do that.

His All-Defensive selection this past season was paired with the title of NBA Steals Leader, as he notched a league-high 128 takeaways. Anunoby was an absolute menace on the ball.

At 6-foot-7, his length allows him to tackle nearly any defensive matchup on the perimeter, meaning Jason Kidd could trust him to guard the opponent’s best perimeter player on any given night.

That’s a huge weapon to have when Doncic and Irving - two players who often struggle on the defensive end - are your team’s stars.

Plus, Anunoby brings a lot to the table on the offensive end as well. He averaged 16.8 points per game this past season, and more importantly, he shot 38.7% from three-point range on 5.5 attempts per contest.

The only thing that brings the grade of this trade down is Dallas’ desperate need for a center. The 10th pick is their best trade asset, and not trading it for a big man could be a risk.

However, since they would be getting back a defensive player as elite as Anuonby, it just might be worth it.

Potential starting lineup: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, OG Anunoby, Maxi Kleber

Grade: A-