Mark Cuban: Mavs Were Close to Adding '2 Really Big Pieces' at Trade Deadline
The Dallas Mavericks were relatively quiet ahead of the NBA trade deadline, but owner Mark Cuban explained Thursday on 105.3 The Fan that the team almost made a significant deal.
"We tried. We came really, really close on a couple deals. Two really big pieces," Cuban said, via the Dallas Morning News. "They were both three-team deals, and in one case was a trade-and-extend and we couldn’t get the player to agree on terms. And the other piece, one of the teams just decided they didn’t want to trade a key guy to make it happen."
Dallas ended up trading a second-round pick for Willie Cauley-Stein and added Michael Kidd-Gilchrist off waivers but otherwise didn't upgrade the roster.
The lack of trades was relatively disappointing for a team looking to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Mavericks have a pair of elite young players in Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, but a third star could've helped compete with the top teams in the Western Conference.
Though Cuban didn't comment on any specific players (adhering to league rules), there was reported interest from the Mavericks on a variety of players, mostly wings.
According to Chris Crouse of Heavy.com, Dallas spoke with the Minnesota Timberwolves about a deal for Andrew Wiggins before he was sent to the Golden State Warriors. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the team was one of the top suitors for Robert Covington, who eventually landed with the Houston Rockets.
Per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, there was a deal in place to add Danny Green from the Los Angeles Lakers had they acquired Marcus Morris Sr., who instead went to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reported Dallas had interest in Aaron Gordon from the Orlando Magic, who were trying hard to deal him away.
The organization had an offer to the Memphis Grizzlies for Andre Iguodala before he was dealt to the Miami Heat, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
It's unclear if any of these players would qualify as a big piece, while Iguodala is the only one set to enter free agency to fit the "trade-and-extend" description. Still, Dallas will be left thinking about "what if" after failing to complete any major trade.
