Rumors: Mavericks eyeing trade involving veteran forward before deadline

After last night's win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Dallas Mavericks are 13-8 on the season and are in fifth place in the Western Conference. Dallas has now won eight of their last nine games, and now that Luka Doncic has returned from injury, there is plenty of wind in their sails.

They have the momentum that they need to play strong to finish out 2024, and Doncic returning to a lineup that was already playing at an elite level was a major morale booster.

Dallas' bench has performed extremely well ever since Jason Kidd called out their performance last month, with Quentin Grimes and Naji Marshall being the stars of the show. Both players have been excellent as starters or coming off the bench, but a different reserve could be out the door before we know it.

Maxi Kleber is appearing in early trade rumors for Mavs

Maxi Kleber is having the slowest start to a season in his career, and he'll likely be someone to monitor on the trade market over the next two months. HoopsHype's Michael Scotto listed Kleber as a "potential trade candidate" in his most recent piece, and his days in Dallas may be numbered.

"The Mavericks will look to unload him due to his remaining $22 million owed through next season," Scotto said.

This is some of the first reporting of Kleber being someone the Mavs are looking to move this season, and his slow start and decline in performance combined with the $22 million that he is owed over the next two years are two indicators that it may be the best to move him.

It's undeniable that Kleber can still make a big impact when he's at his best, even if he isn't scoring the ball well, but that version of Kleber is a rare occurrence. He played extremely well at the beginning of the playoffs last season before getting injured, but this season has been a different story.

His ability to play the stretch five has been a major help for Dallas over the years, but as his confidence dwindles, so does the pressure that he puts on defenses from behind the arc. This has arguably been the most unconfident version of Kleber we have seen, and the numbers reflect that.

Kleber is averaging 2.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 36 percent from the field and 25 percent from downtown, and he is playing the least minutes per game in his career outside of his rookie year.

This doesn't mean that Kleber can't get rolling as the season chugs along, but all of the injuries may finally be catching up to him. He played in 80 combined games over the last two seasons (excluding this season), and with Dereck Lively II battling a plethora of injuries over the first two seasons of his career, he hasn't been super reliable when forced into playing big minutes.

Despite the decline in play and injury history, Kleber can still be a solid piece for any team in the league when fully healthy and confident. The Mavs know that better than anyone, but if he can't improve soon, that will give them even more of a reason to pursue a trade for him.

Kleber will have the chance to get back on track over the next few games if Lively II's knee hyperextension ends up keeping him out for an extended time, and this could be his best shot to prove that he can still provide good value when given the opportunity.