3 Most likely players for the Mavericks to trade before training camp

The long days of August are here, and that typically means the NBA offseason slows down.

There have already been multiple blockbuster trades, all of the top free agents have signed with their teams, and training camp is still over a month away.

This is typically the slowest part of the offseason, but NBA fans have been blessed this year as the FIBA World Cup is going on.

3 Most likely players for the Mavericks to trade before training camp

The Dallas Mavericks are heavily represented in the FIBA World Cup as Luka Doncic, Josh Green, Dante Exum, and Dwight Powell are all representing their countries. The FIBA World Cup rolled around at the perfect time, giving fans an early preview of how hard their favorite player has been training this offseason.

Although the NBA offseason is slowing down, things could start speeding up quickly for the Mavericks. Dallas has been in multiple trade talks for a starting center this summer, and it still seems like their No. 1 priority for the rest of the summer is trading for a big man.

They've been in talks for Clint Capela and Deandre Ayton, and even called the Toronto Raptors about Pascal Siakam earlier in the summer. While trading for a center is a clear priority, it seems that moving a couple of players is also a priority for Dallas.

There are a few players that have been in trade rumors at one point or another this summer, and there's a good chance that the Mavericks' roster looks a little different once training camp rolls around.

Here's a list of the three most likely players for the Mavericks to trade before training camp next month.

3. Richaun Holmes

The Mavericks acquired Richaun Holmes on draft night in a trade with the Sacramento Kings.

When trading back from the No. 10 to No. 12 pick, the Mavs gained a traded player exception. Later that night, they moved the traded player exception to the Kings for the draft rights to Olivier-Maxence Prosper along with Holmes.

Last season for the Kings, Holmes averaged 3.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.3 blocks per game. He had fallen almost completely out of the rotation, and Dallas is hopefully somewhere that he can get back to playing elite basketball.

Although Holmes could turn out to be a valuable rotation piece for the Mavs, it wouldn't shock me if they traded him before training camp. He was reportedly in trade talks centered around Deandre Ayton on draft night, and Dallas doesn't need him if they trade for a starting big.

It makes no sense for Dallas to keep Holmes if they trade for a starting center because that would mean that the Mavs would have four centers at that point. They would have Dereck Lively II, Dwight Powell, Holmes, and whatever center they trade for.

Dallas likely wouldn't want Lively II to be the fourth-string center on the roster, and Holmes looks like he'd be the center most likely to be traded of that bunch if Dallas trades for a new big. Mark Cuban did call the move for Holmes "the most underrated pickup of the summer," but was that just smoke to help drive his trade value up?

Only time will tell.

2. Tim Hardaway Jr.

Tim Hardaway Jr. has been on the trade block all summer, and it looks like Dallas is doing whatever they can to move him.

He was a part of the trade rumors for Deandre Ayton and Bojan Bogdanovic, and moving him in one of these trades just makes sense as he would be needed to help match salary. Last season in Dallas, Hardaway Jr. averaged 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.7 steals per game.

He was one of Dallas' most consistent shooters and seemed to mesh well with Kyrie Irving, but Dallas has to move him. His salary is too big, and he'd be taking minutes from players who need them more than he does.

Although Hardaway Jr. might be better than Jaden Hardy right now, Hardy needs to be playing every night to develop his game. Dallas also has Seth Curry coming in, and he needs minutes as well. There isn't room for all three of them to have big roles, and they should move Hardaway Jr. if they can.

Another reason they need to move him is because of his struggles defensively. Dallas doesn't have any great guard defenders other than Josh Green and potentially Dante Exum, and having Hardaway Jr. on the floor with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving isn't the best defensive lineup.

1. JaVale McGee

JaVale McGee's second stint with the Mavs didn't go well, and he is the most likely of these three players to not be on the roster when training camp rolls around.

It's already been reported that Dallas is open to waiving McGee if they can't find a trade partner, and the only way I see him getting moved is as a salary filler in a trade.

The Mavericks signed McGee to a three-year contract last summer and promised him the starting center spot before he played a single game. McGee ended up losing his starting spot quickly, and he was playing poorly. He quickly fell out of the rotation and played a career-low 8.5 minutes per game.

That was not expected of McGee, as fans were excited for his return after a promising season with the Phoenix Suns. He didn't live up to any of the hype and has seemed to become nearly immovable at this point (unless used as a salary filler as previously discussed).

McGee's second stint in Dallas was as forgettable as they come, and the Mavs are likely regretting paying him last summer.

Which of these three players will be traded this summer?

We'll have you covered with the answer to that question and more, so stay tuned.