3 reasons why the Dallas Mavericks should trade Josh Green

Josh Green was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. With the selection of Green over names like guard Tyrese Maxey and wing Desmond Bane, there has been plenty of skepticism surrounding his name.

Throughout Green's rookie year, he saw little to no playing time. He would also go on to shoot an abysmal 16% from behind the arc that season and only averaged a mere 2.8 points per game.

Heading into Green's sophomore season, he was expected to that second-year leap that we see from many players. He would see an increase in production and play but not that marginal leap we all expected.

3 reasons why the Dallas Mavericks should trade Josh Green

It wasn't until Jason Kidd became head coach of the Dallas Mavericks that we would see a drastic improvement in Josh Green's play on the court. His minutes per game would skyrocket from 15 in the previous season to a career-high 25 minutes. His role would also drastically change from a bench player with a minuscule role to a highly coveted two-way role player on the Mavericks.

Green would go on to average career-high numbers in many different departments and have a valuable role in closing out last year's season. However, there are still many questions remaining about Green.

Many forget that Green would be sidelined for almost two months due to an elbow injury. After coming back from injury, Green would have a huge dropoff in shooting and production.

This begs the question, how reliable is Green? Should he be traded, and what for? Throughout this article, I will give three reasons why the Mavericks should trade Josh Green.

Green and the Mavs have started extension talks, but would that be the right move?

3. Josh Green is an integral piece of a bigger trade

Throughout last year's trade deadline and into this offseason, Josh Green's name was thrown around in trade rumors for bigger-named players to pair next to Luka Doncic. This of course happened before Kyrie Irving was traded to Dallas a week before the trade deadline.

For many fans, this was a sign that maybe Josh Green was eventually going to be traded for a bigger piece.

Green's contract would be considered a hot commodity for any NBA franchise looking for a young player to develop. His rookie deal however expires after this coming 2023-24 NBA season.

This could be a good selling point for a team that wants to take a chance on Green and give up a veteran in the process.

If the Mavericks want to express any interest in an upgrade at the forward or even center position, Green would likely need to be thrown into any package.

Green could potentially have a huge role heading into the 2023-24 NBA season, being that he could again be a starter, But one thing is clear.

Dallas is in dire need of a starting center, and if the Mavericks want to make an offer for the center of their future, they will likely need to include Josh Green in those deals.

2. Josh Green's ceiling could be lower than expected

Josh Green's ascent into an NBA role has been very gradual, from rookie to sophomore year slumps to exploding onto the scene to start the 2022-23 season and eventually falling back off. It's safe to assume that maybe the Dallas Mavericks have already seen enough of a sample size to want to go their separate ways.

Green is just now entering his fourth season in the NBA, so it's hard to judge if we've seen his best version, but many moments through last season's disastrous season could prove this to be true.

Assuming that last season's 3-point shooting was just a fluke and that his numbers will drop, it would be virtually hard to play him on the court with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Green offers a unique ability to be able to create a bit for others and shoot, but if you simply take away his shooting, it makes it hard for him to see the court.

Dallas already has a plethora of ball handlers, and having one of Josh Green's caliber could hurt other player's development. Green isn't necessarily the strongest ball handler, and asking him to be a secondary or even primary creator off the bench could prove disastrous if the Mavericks opted to go that route.

This is why Green's shooting is of utmost importance. If it were to drop off or simply disappear, it could make him almost unplayable alongside Luka Doncic.

1. Dallas cannot afford another Jalen Brunson scenario

A scenario that will forever haunt Mavericks fans was Jalen Brunson signing with the New York Knicks, this wasn't even the first time this happened in Dallas history as two-time MVP Steve Nash would take his talents to the Phoenix Suns in the summer of 2004.

It would be all too familiar to say that a player that the Dallas Mavericks drafted is now up for a contract extension. Yes, the Mavericks are once again in a similar spot as they were just last offseason, but this time it's with Josh Green.

If the Mavericks want to avoid last season's undoing, then it might be wise to get value for a player who will just leave in free agency.

Josh Green has voiced that he would like to stay in Dallas long-term and carve out a respectable career here, but the big question is, how do the Mavericks feel about Green?

Getting value for Green could be the ideal option if the Mavericks are still shopping around for that coveted starting center. Trading Green now would avoid the dreaded Jalen Brunson scenario and create a path for someone like Derrick Jones Jr. or Olivier Maxence-Prosper the reigns to a starting role.

The Dallas Mavericks have a lot of options when it comes to Josh Green. In a critical offseason, the team has done absolute wonders to retool and pair Luka Doncic with great role players, but it could come down to Josh Green.

We'll have you covered with all the latest news and rumors surrounding the Dallas Mavericks this summer, so stay tuned.