The Dallas Mavericks made it to the NBA Finals last season despite questions about their roster after a shocking Playoff miss in the 2022-23 NBA season. The Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving experiment has gone better than expected with the Mavericks looking well-positioned as contenders in the Western Conference and are its reigning champions.
Moves made by teams like Oklahoma City Thunder could challenge Dallas’ current reign as West champions, so Dallas needs to respond to the major additions around the conference. They added Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, and Quentin Grimes this summer, but could do with some more reinforcements in positions of need to reinforce their defense or add wing scoring.
Even after making aggressive trades last season, the Mavericks have a few assets to move around if another upgrade at the wing or power forward is required this season. Here are three trade targets that the Mavs need to consider during the 2024-25 season.
Dorian Finney-Smith
Mavericks Receive: Dorian Finney-Smith
Nets Receive: Maxi Kleber, Jaden Hardy, 2025 Second-Round Pick (DAL)
Dorian Finney-Smith might have been on the Brooklyn Nets for the last season-and-a-half but he’ll always be a beloved figure for the Mavericks. The home-grown star was traded from the franchise in February 2023 to facilitate the acquisition of Kyrie Irving. Now that the Nets look committed to bottoming out for the 2025 NBA Draft, a reunion for Finney-Smith and the Mavericks might be the best-case scenario for both team and player.
Finney-Smith averaged an unimpressive 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds last season with the Nets, but the team doesn’t play to his primary offensive strength of generating corner threes. Finney-Smith was Doncic’s most-assisted teammate for the seasons they spent together, with fans knowing how strong their chemistry was.
His importance to the Mavs was evident during their 2022 Western Conference Finals run, with Smith being one of Dallas’ best players. His defensive solidity made him one of Jason Kidd’s favorites, so he would fit right back into the team that maintains a similar core identity for what they need role-players to do.
Jaden Hardy averaged 7.3 points last season, coming onto the Nets as a high-potential combo guard who can score in bunches. Maxi Kleber would be a fantastic veteran to the young bigs on the Nets as his time as a rotational player on the Mavs seems to be ending. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds last season and could be a trade candidate given his versatility and size.
Jerami Grant
Mavericks Receive: Jerami Grant, Kris Murray
Nets Receive: PJ Washington, Maxi Kleber, Dante Exum, 2025 First-Round Pick (DAL)
One of the biggest issues the Mavericks faced in the 2024 NBA Finals was generating offense from someone other than Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving. This was a season-long problem that was glossed over because the backcourt combined to average over 50 points last season. That offensive workload won’t be sustainable for another season, which is why the team added Klay Thompson in the summer.
Klay will be a phenomenal tool in the Mavs catch-and-shoot sets but the team needs a frontcourt player capable of scoring on his own while providing great defense on the perimeter. Portland Trail Blazers star Jerami Grant is the answer for that, with the veteran forward out-of-place on a young Blazers squad. He averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists last season, proving his value as a two-way threat in the NBA.
Losing PJ Washington will be tough for the Mavericks, but outside his hot shooting in the second-round series against the OKC Thunder, Washington’s playoff contributions weren’t as consistent as many would’ve hoped. He averaged 12.9 points and 5.6 rebounds last season.
Grant provides more consistent offense and other offensive intangibles while matching Washington’s defensive work-rate.
Dante Exum had a phenomenal comeback season last year, averaging 7.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 49.1% from three, but his NBA injury woes saw him miss a lot of time last year and he’ll be unavailable to start the season. The tanking Blazers can reap the rewards of patience in a way the Mavs can’t, so this swap will be necessary to make up the salary numbers required for the trade.
Julius Randle
Mavericks Receive: Julius Randle, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Terrance Shannon Jr.
Nets Receive: PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, Maxi Kleber, 2025 First-Round Pick (DAL)
Julius Randle was shockingly traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer, with many still questioning the fit for the Timberwolves who parted with one of the greatest shooting big men in NBA history. Randle could be a clunky fit on the Timberwolves as the second option behind Anthony Edwards, especially with the presence of Rudy Gobert at center.
The Mavericks could be the ideal home for Randle, as they have a defined offensive system within which Randle could play a crucial role. He averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists last season for the New York Knicks.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker averaged 8.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists last season and emerged as a solid POA defender, while rookie Terrance Shannon Jr. could be an instant contributor or a project swingman for the Mavs.
Acquiring Randle fills Dallas’ need for an inside threat who can score without having Doncic or Irving feed them lobs. Randle is also a solid defender who can play small-ball five if needed to create a super-spaced lineup, which would be especially lethal with the shooters on the Mavs roster. Due to the recent trade, Randle can’t be moved again until November 26.
Losing Daniel Gafford will be tough given Gafford averaged 11.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks last season, going through one of the longest streaks without a missed shot in NBA history due to Doncic’s lob-throwing ability. Randle makes the Mavericks frontcourt more multi-dimensional, opening up a bigger role for Dereck Lively II.
This would be a risky deal but might be perfect for both teams, as the Wolves acquire even more depth which would be complementary to their roster while the Mavericks acquire a star forward to take pressure off the overworked backcourt.
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