NBA Rumors: Dallas Mavericks Should Deal Before Trade Deadline

The Dallas Mavericks have reportedly said they're not aggressively pursuing a trade before the March 13 deadline.

But they should, because they'll just be another old, stagnant team without dealing.

Mark Cuban said recently, via ESPN:

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“We’re not looking to change unless someone makes us an offer we can’t refuse. We’re not looking to shake anything up. We think we’ve got a good team that hasn’t played its best basketball yet.”

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The Mavericks have eight players who are 32 years of age or older. This includes Shawn Marion, who still has two years left on his contract and has noticeably declined at 33 years old.

Dallas also has Rodrigue Beaubois, who has been rumored to be available (though Cuban denies this) and would surely garner some interest throughout the league.

The defending champs need to get younger. They haven't reached "Boston Celtics status," where their age is considerably hurting them, but the key is to make a move before that happens.

Marion is averaging 11.9 points and 6.4 rebounds this season in 30 minutes per game. He's no longer the All-Star he used to be.

Beaubois has not only failed to fill J.J. Barea's shoes, he's clearly not a point guard, which is what the Mavericks need right now.

There's also the fact that the Mavericks would do well to save some money before free agency. Regardless of the availability of Dwight Howard and Deron Williams, they can still add some valuable pieces if they save up enough money.

Marion and Beaubois are dead weight at this point. It doesn't serve the Mavericks any good to keep them around. The Celtics have made this mistake and they're paying dearly for it right now, clinging to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 15-17 record.

The best organizations think ahead and make the moves necessary to make a run at the title.

You'd think Cuban would be attacking the trade deadline this season with a passion, given his desire to win.