Rumors: Wizards guard could get traded, should the Mavericks get involved?

The Dallas Mavericks could be players in the trade market, especially since the team has fallen to seventh place in the West after rising to as high as the conference's first seed earlier in the season.

NBA insider Marc Stein recently revealed Dallas wants to upgrade the power forward position, although he downplayed the rumors that the Mavs could be big players in the Pascal Siakam sweepstakes. Of course, the Toronto Raptors star's multifaceted abilities can potentially bolster the squad. But dealing for him will likely require giving up a ton of assets.

Instead, Dallas might want to consider gunning for minor upgrades instead of catching a big fish. Perhaps improving its depth at point guard should be on the front office's to-do list. Incidentally, an elite floor general from the Washington Wizards is apparently available.

Rumors: Wizards guard could get traded, should the Mavericks get involved?

The Tyus Jones experiment in Washington seems over, as Sam Amico of Hoops Wire reported in late December that the Wizards are open to shipping the veteran in return for picks and young players, which the Mavs have.

Who can blame the Wizards for taking a risk in adding Jones this past offseason when he has displayed his efficient playmaking skills throughout his professional career? The Duke University product is known for leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio for several seasons now.

While he still paces the league in that department in the 2023-24 campaign, his backcourt partnership with Jordan Poole hasn't resulted in many wins for Washington. So, it makes sense for the organization to give up on the undersized backcourt duo and find assets to help its rebuilding efforts in exchange.

However, you might be wondering why Dallas should consider adding another point guard when they already have Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the thriving Dante Exum, who entered the league playing that position before unexpectedly joining the Mavs' starting lineup at one of the swingman slots this season.

Bringing in Jones, though, could serve as playmaking insurance for the team, as injuries haven't been kind to the franchise stars. Since his rookie campaign, Doncic has not played in more than 66 regular season games in a season. As for Irving, he has been on the sidelines a lot more.

Moreover, Dallas could benefit from having a true point guard on the roster because, let's face it, Doncic and Irving thrive incredibly well as scorers. A player like Jones could give the team a different shot-creating weapon in its arsenal. 

As it stands, the Mavs' 25.3 assists per game rank just 25th in the NBA this season despite their star-studded backcourt. Jones could solve Dallas' playmaking woes without hurting its strength in taking care of the ball (2nd in the league with 12.1 turnovers per contest.)

Some might point out the nine-year pro's abysmal defensive rating in this campaign as possibly exacerbating the Mavs' already woeful defense. But Jones' apparent defensive struggles could be his team's fault rather than his own. In Jones' first eight years in the NBA playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies, he never had a defensive rating worse than 114.

It remains to be seen if Dallas will look to change up its roster, specifically at the point guard spot. 

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