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| English: Jump ball before the Memphis Grizzlies vs. Dallas Mavericks game, Dec. 23, 2008 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Just over a month away from the 2013 NBA Trade Deadline, trade winds are already stirring as one of the most controversial owners in sports has come out virtually guaranteeing his team makes a move. Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban has come out and publicly stated that his team is going to be extremely active over the next month exploring trade options.
“There’s a 100 percent chance that we’re going to look to do something,” Cuban told Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News recently.
Cuban wasn’t finished there.
Just a day later, Cuban reinforced that he’s committed to making changes to the Mavericks, who currently sit at 12th in the Western Conference with a disappointing 16-23 record.
“We’re letting everybody know the Bank of Cuban’s open,” Cuban told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “And if it’s the right deal, we don’t mind taking back money. But we’re not going to do a trade just to do a trade. It’s got to be worthwhile.
“Every day, I’m going through rosters, trying to come up with ideas for [Mavericks' General Manager] Donnie [Nelson],”
Despite Dallas putting together a nice little three-game winning streak over the past week, it’s clear that the Mavericks owner hasn’t been a fan of what he’s seen from his team so far this season
Even Mavericks’ head coach Rick Carlisle has iterated recently that he believes this season is going to continue to be an uphill climb with the team currently in place.
“It’s going to be work for us,” Carlisle said before Monday’s 113-98 blowout win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “I’m not under any false presumptions that we’ve got it figured out and that’s not how this year’s going to be. Every game’s going to be challenging.”
Looking at the Mavericks’ roster, it may be easier said than done trying to put together enticing trade offers to propose to other teams around the NBA. As the “Bank of Cuban” statement alluded to, Dallas has plenty of expiring contracts to allow another team to make a salary dump that includes a talent the Mavs are interested in. While that’s a solid starting point, the Mavericks don’t exactly possess the young talent to go along with expiring contracts that perspective teams generally covet.
One name that’s been thrown around quite a bit, not just with Dallas, but across the NBA has been Memphis Grizzlies’ small forward Rudy Gay. Despite featuring the fourth best record in the brutally talented Western Conference at 24-12, the Grizzlies have seemingly been dangling their budding young superstar most of the season.
For the Mavericks, a team looking for that second superstar to place next to former NBA Most Valuable Player Dirk Nowitzki now and hope he becomes the face of the franchise later. If Memphis were to find a group of players they covet on the Mavs that came close to his roughly $16.4 salary this season, the 26-year old Gay is seemingly an excellent fit.
Still, it’s difficult to see Memphis disposing of Gay in what would amount to nothing more than a salary dump. With a team that’s right in the thick of contention in the West, it’s mind boggling that the Grizzlies are even discussing a deal behind the scenes for one of the most talented players on the roster.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/would-mavericks-consider-rudy-gay-trade/
