Dallas Mavericks: How Dallas Can Land Jeremy Lamb in Round One

With a desperate need to get younger, get another All-Star next to Dirk Nowitzki and to do it under the new rules of the CBA, it's time for the Dallas Mavericks to get creative.

They can do that in the 2012 NBA Draft by getting Jeremy Lamb in the first round.

Lamb, the playmaking 6'5" shooting guard from the University of Connecticut, would be an instant starter for coach Rick Carlisle, and could be the kind of player Dirk Nowitzki has long-coveted in the draft, at least since Josh Howard went crazy all those years ago.

In outlining the potential draft prospects the Mavs should go after, I identified Lamb as a definite target. It will take a trade to get it done, and finding a potential trade partner will then be the next order of business.

While moving up in the draft is no easy task, and the Mavericks don't exactly have the kind of assets or youth that most teams would ask for, I believe there is a trade partner and a scenario out there that is feasible.

If you know the way the Mavericks operate, they often look at the same teams to do deals with. Charlotte, Washington, Golden State and Brooklyn have all been trade partners in the Mark Cuban era, and the ties between agents and front office can't be ignored in any of those franchises.

Golden State deals were being made for Antawn Jamison and Erick Dampier, and more were discussed when Don Nelson took over in California. Charlotte gave the Mavs a guy named Tyson Chandler, among other deals. New Jersey provided Eddie Najera and Jason Kidd. Washington was responsible for DeShawn Stevenson and Brendan Haywood.

While their weren't picks involved in many of these deals, the patterns in trade partners are there. General managers and owners often form cliques just like high schoolers, so it's prudent to look at a potential trade partner the Mavs could target to get Lamb at the top of the first round.

The Team: The Toronto Raptors

The Raptors, while looking to upgrade their squad at No. 8, could also use some veteran leadership. The Mavs, with picks at 17 and 55, have just enough current talent and picks to entice Toronto to move down nine slots and still get some solid talent while picking up additional selections.

Aside from the players and picks, old assistant coach Dwane Casey is now the head coach north of the border. He's the defensive genius from the championship run, and is as familiar with the current roster as anybody.

Many mocks have Lamb going right around the No. 8 slot that Toronto occupies, making them a prime target in both assets and likelihood of player availability.

Casey might make a deal with his old bosses to help his team out in the long run. Dallas could find themselves both a quality player in Lamb, and maybe an additional guy in the course of the trade.

The Trade:

DALLAS RECEIVES:

Picks No. 8, 56

F Amir Johnson

TORONTO RECEIVES:

Picks No. 17, 55, future top 40 protected second-round pick

C Brendan Haywood

G Dominique Jones/Rights to G Petteri Koponen

Cash

The Analysis

While this trade might not make sense from Toronto's standpoint on paper, stockpiling seven-footers can never be overlooked in this league.

Toronto has no cap issues. They have flexibility to do whatever they can to entice free agents to Canada, so it would be less of an issue for them to pick up the final four years remaining on Haywood's contract.

Pairing Haywood and Andrea Bargnani in the frontcourt would allow the European to play more of a shooter's role in the power forward slot, while giving the Raptors someone to protect the rim in a situation where Haywood would be the starter from day one, which was part of his problem in Dallas.

Jones is a combo guard who would fit nicely in the four-guard rotation with Jerryd Bayless, Jose Calderon and DeMar DeRozan. Koponen hasn't come over to the NBA yet, but both he and Jones could be options to replace Calderon if he decides to pursue free agency after 2013.

For the Mavs, they'd have the freedom to select Lamb at No. 8, assuming he is still on the board. Johnson's contract, while three years and close to $18 million, isn't a bad one for someone to come in and clean up the glass behind Dirk Nowitzki.

Giving away No's 17 and 55 for No's 8 and 56 is a good deal, and Brendan Haywood obviously needs a change of scenery.

If Toronto deemed this deal not sweet enough, you could see Vince Carter or Lamar Odom as substitutes for Haywood, since Carter makes $3 million and Odom can be bought out for only $2.4 million against the cap. Changing the future pick Dallas sends from a second-rounder to a first-rounder is also an option.

Conclusion

While certainly a trade with many variables, it's one that Dallas could pursue if they deem Lamb or whoever else a steal at No. 8. Toronto might not seem like they're getting much in return, but the infusion of Haywood in Casey's defensive-oriented system might be the spark he needs to get back to double-double status.

Toronto and Dallas should be on the phone in the next month, seeing if this deal or another would be available on draft night. Dallas needs to get younger, and Toronto could benefit from some veteran leadership from a player(s) Casey knows on a personal level.

Additionally, going all in for a top-10 selection would show any potential free agents (Deron Williams, ahem!) that they are going for broke to acquire more talent around Nowitzki.

Finding a young player that can start and won't require a hefty payday is the name of the game these days. If the Mavericks can do that, move Haywood's contract, entice free agents and get younger all at the same time, what more could you ask for?