Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd pushes for team to make a trade?
By Jaren Boslow
On Monday, the Dallas Mavericks took on the struggling Orlando Magic in a must-win game. After going down early and looking defeated in the first half, the Mavs bounced back and stormed over the Magic.
Superstar Luka Doncic finished the game with a 45-point, 15-assist night and was just one rebound shy of a triple-double. Behind Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. had an amazing night of 36 points and eight rebounds. The two combined for 81 points and led the Mavericks to a narrow victory over the Magic.
Alongside Doncic and Hardaway Jr., Jaden Hardy cashed in 20 points off the bench. If it weren't for Hardy, the Mavericks would have never stood a chance to make the 16-point comeback fans all saw. Additionally, rookie center Dereck Lively II was just selected for the NBA's Rising Stars Challenge after his 20-point double-double.
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd pushes for team to make a trade
After a big win and the trade deadline looming, fans have been begging the team to make a move. Recently, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd went on 97.1 The Freak to discuss his thoughts on Doncic and the state of the team.
Throughout the interview, Kidd said multiple times that he believed Doncic was better than Dirk Nowitzki ever was. Kidd also expressed his beliefs that Doncic is in the likes of NBA greats like Michael Jordan and Lebron James.
However, no comment may be greater than Kidd's remark about how the time is now to get the right pieces surrounding Doncic for a potential championship run, potentially signaling to the Mavericks front office to make a move now.
"Now is the opportunity of getting the right people around him to ultimately win a championship," Kidd said.
The Mavericks are currently 26-21 and sit seventh in the Western Conference. If they wish to make a win-now move, it may require more assets than the team is willing to give. After being linked to Washington Wizards star Kyle Kuzma, the team may be enticed to make the win-now move fans want to see after Kuzma's trade price could have just been lowered.
If Kidd is right about Doncic and believes he can win multiple championships, the time would be now for the front office to start making calls before the February 8 trade deadline.
The Mavericks' next game will be tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. For more updates on rumors, trades, and Dallas Mavericks basketball, stay plugged in.