5 Players Who Make the Most Sense to Complete Dallas Mavericks' Roster
It's not going to be smooth skating toward a deep playoff run for the Dallas Mavericks, even after making the high-profile trade for Rajon Rondo. The team has gone just 1-1 since acquiring the point guard from the Boston Celtics, and the victory was a six-point squeaker against a tired San Antonio Spurs squad that had played six overtime periods in the two games just prior and was resting many of its key players.
While gaining Rondo is a big deal, so too is losing Brandan Wright.
The backup big man may only have been averaging 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest, but he was an efficient offensive option and a rim-protecting presence behind Tyson Chandler. However, it's not so much about what Wright could do as it is what the remaining big men can't.
Chandler is an aging veteran, one who's prone to injury and coming off some seasons plagued by back woes. He's a nerve-wracking key to this team, and there's now absolutely no insurance policy behind him, which is rather problematic.
Losing Chandler to injury was always going to be worrisome; now that Greg Smith—a 6'10" big man with precious little experience in a significant roleis his primary backup, an injury to the starting center would be downright disastrous.
Fortunately, there's still time for the Mavericks to shore up this potential problem.
Kosta Koufos
1 of 5
Current Team: Memphis Grizzlies
Age: 25
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 4.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.0 blocks, 14.6 PER
Currently backing up Marc Gasol for the Memphis Grizzlies, Kosta Koufos is the ideal trade target for the Mavericks.
Though he's still only 25 years old, he's an established commodity, one who doesn't have enough enduring upside to force the asking price up into territory that's too rich for Dallas. Nonetheless, he has experience in the Association, and the Mavericks would know exactly the type of player they're getting.
Koufos isn't going to blow anyone away as a scorer. Nor will he do so on the boards. He's just a solid contributor in many facets of the game, and he can provide the 15 to 20 minutes of rim protection that the Mavericks so desperately need behind Tyson Chandler.
According to NBA.com's SportVU data, Koufos is facing 4.5 shots per game at the rim, and he's holding opponents to 45.1 percent shooting in that area. Among the 93 players who are going up against at least four attempts during the average contest while suiting up 10 times or more, only a dozen have been more stringent.
"The Grizzlies haven't been willing thus far to part with Koufos, a 7-footer who is an underrated rim defender with a reasonable contract, despite getting calls about him since last summer," ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst recently reported. "In addition to the Cavs, the Sacramento Kings are among the teams that are interested."
The Mavericks should be now as well, but the asking price is going to be quite high. Now that Dallas has given up some of its most intriguing movable assets and parted with a draft pick, it might not have enough to tempt the Grizzlies into swinging a deal.
That's the biggest issue here, not the fit.
Timofey Mozgov
2 of 5
Current Team: Denver Nuggets
Age: 28
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 9.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.3 blocks, 15.4 PER
Much like Koufos, Timofey Mozgov may be too rich a trade target for Mark Cuban's blood, if only because the Rondo move already depleted the franchise's trading coffers. But he's still worth looking into, especially as the Denver Nuggets possess plenty of depth and have to like what they're seeing from rookie big man Jusuf Nurkic in limited action.
The Russian center may not be quite the rim-protecting presence that his Memphis counterpart has become, but he's still holding opponents to 47.5 percent shooting at the basket on 7.1 attempts per game, per NBA.com's SportVU data. He's made quite a few strides on the less glamorous end of the court, showing more discipline and a willingness to take posterization risks in order to contest a shot.
Plus, the Nuggets love him, and for good reason.
Not only is he one of the hardest workers on the team, but his goofy personality has won over many in the organization. Count Brian Shaw among them, as the head coach told Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, "He's been my favorite. Just because as a coach, he's kind of like a coach's dream. He does everything that you ask him to do. It's nice to see when it pays off."
But Mozgov has regressed since last year's late-season breakout, and he may no longer be the favorite, as he was in early October. If the deep Nuggets deem him expendable, he's the perfect insurance policy for Chandler—an established two-way player with enduring upside and a 7-footer's frame.
Emeka Okafor
3 of 5
Current Team: Free agent
Age: 32
2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 9.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.0 blocks, 15.8 PER
Emeka Okafor is the riskiest option.
Though the 32-year-old big man was a defensive stalwart during his prime, he hasn't played even a single minute in either of the last two seasons. Okafor was traded to the Phoenix Suns just days before the 2013-14 campaign began, and he missed the entire year with a herniated disk in his neck. Now, he remains a free agent who isn't yet ready to play.
"But I'm likewise told that Okafor is unlikely to sign anywhere until midseason as he continues to recover from his herniated disk," ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported in August about the aging and injured center. "Said one source: 'He'll be in high demand when he's back.'"
Well, chalk the Mavericks up as one of the many teams that will express interest.
"The Mavs are among the teams that have kept tabs on Okafor, who last played in 2012-13, as he recovered from a herniated disk in his neck," ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon revealed after the Rondo trade.
A veteran big man coming back from so much time off isn't exactly a safe option. However, the defensive upside and positive presence in the locker room makes Okafor too strong a candidate for the Mavericks to overlook.
Jermaine O'Neal
4 of 5
Current Team: Free agent
Age: 36
2013-14 Per-Game Stats: 7.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.9 blocks, 15.3 PER
If you're looking for the most likely candidate, here he is.
"I'm going to make a clear-cut decision after the holidays," Jermaine O'Neal told ESPN.com's Marc Stein on Dec. 12, and the Mavericks are most assuredly on the list of teams pursuing him. After all, he's still a defensive ace who can make a big impact on a competitive team, even if he hasn't played since sparking the Golden State Warriors' bench last season.
"But the pull of spending more time with his children and immersing himself in his various business pursuits is a strong one for O'Neal," Stein writes. "The Warriors acknowledged many times last season how fortunate they were to have convinced O'Neal to leave his Dallas-based family to play in Oakland."
Why is that relevant?
Well, as MacMahon explains, "The Mavs, who can only offer the minimum, have a homecourt advantage of sorts with O'Neal. He lives in the Dallas suburb of Southlake with his wife and two children."
Plus, he writes, that's not the only advantage:
"The trade for Rondo, sources told Stein on Friday, has given the Mavs the edge in the competition for O'Neal's services.
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O'Neal also has personal history with two prominent figures in the Mavs organization. He was an All-Star during each of [Rick] Carlisle's four seasons as the Indiana Pacers head coach, and Carlisle was a Portland Trail Blazers assistant when O'Neal was an 18-year-old rookie first-round pick. O'Neal also played two recent seasons with Rondo in Boston.
O'Neal may be 36 years old, but he's certainly still capable of making a sizable impact. He was especially strong down the stretch for the Dubs in 2013-14, filling in for injured players and proving himself a consistent contributor.
It's not as though Dallas would be asking him to do anything but serve as a top-notch insurance policy. Even with so much wear and tear on his tires, he's still more than capable of doing that.
Zaza Pachulia
5 of 5
Current Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Age: 30
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks, 12.1 PER
After losing Jabari Parker for the season with a torn ACL, the Milwaukee Bucks may be more inclined to part with some of their veteran players, so long as they can receive a future asset or two. Zaza Pachulia certainly qualifies as a veteran, especially now that the 30-year-old is not much more than a role player who can provide a team with a big body off the pine.
Of course, this move is only worth making for the Mavericks if he can be had on the cheap.
Pachulia has struggled to play interior defense this season, and, as shown by NBA.com's SportVU stats, he's allowing the opposition to shoot 56 percent at the rim on five attempts per game. Out of the 93 players facing at least four shots per contest, only 16 have been worse at keeping the other team's field-goal percentage down in reasonable figures.
So is Pachulia an ideal target? Not exactly.
Nevertheless, he's a solid trade option for Dallas simply because he's a big and experienced player who can serve as a decent insurance policy. It also helps that Mark Cuban wouldn't have to break the bank in order to get him, which can't necessarily be said about Koufos and Mozgov.
At this stage of the season and while operating without too many appealing assets, Dallas doesn't have any perfect options.
O'Neal and Okafor are risky, as they're aging players with injury problems who haven't played in quite some time. Mozgov and Koufos will have high asking prices, even if they're the best choices to back up Chandler. Pachulia is a limited player, though he can likely be had for a relatively small haul.
But all of them would be distinct upgrades at a spot that's sorely in need of one.
Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, come from Basketball-Reference.com and are current heading into Dec. 23's games.
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