The Dallas Mavericks started this season very well, sitting nine games over .500 in late December before an injury to Luka Doncic started a troubling skid in the standings. They’ve gone 4-10 over their last 14 games, falling out of the West’s top six while continuing to get bad injury news about their roster.
They haven’t had Dante Exum available all year, with Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Jaden Hardy, and more all currently sidelined. Kyrie Irving, PJ Washington, and Quentin Grimes are currently playing through injuries. The situation got much worse with starting center Dereck Lively II being ruled out with a foot fracture for the next 2-3 months, signaling the end of his regular-season campaign.
Daniel Gafford is the only playable big man on the Mavs roster, with even third-string center Dwight Powell currently out injured. They need to keep their Playoff push alive while their players heal up and add frontcourt depth with Lively likely being done for the season. The Toronto Raptors can help them pull it off.
Trade Details
Dallas Mavericks Receive: Chris Boucher ($10.8 million)
Toronto Raptors Receive: Maxi Kleber ($11.0 million), 2025 Second-Round Pick (DEN/PHI)
Boucher is on an expiring contract and would be the perfect big man for the Mavericks in the short term. His contract means the team won’t have to worry about him after Lively can make a full-time return. Their skill sets are diverse enough that even if Lively returns during the Playoffs, Boucher can stay usable by performing different big-man roles, potentially alongside Lively or Gafford.
The Mavericks Don’t Let Themselves Get Too Weak
Keen observers and fans of the Mavericks over the Luka Doncic era know how badly this organization has struggled to find complementary big men for Doncic. After years of failures, they hit two home runs in one year by adding Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford last season, instantly becoming an NBA Final-caliber franchise. Center-play is crucial to the Mavericks, and they need an option behind Gafford in Lively’s absence.
Chris Boucher is averaging 10.3 points and 4.4 rebounds this season. While Boucher lacks the above-the-rim play that Lively and Gafford bring to the team, he is a far more skilled on-ball center with more perimeter flexibility on both ends of the court. He could even function as a four-man in big lineups, which could be useful in Playoff matchups against dynamic frontcourts.
The Mavericks have relied on Maxi Kleber as their do-it-all frontcourt defender, but his offensive output has become almost non-existent and he can’t handle major minutes anymore either. Boucher will replace Kleber’s role perfectly and potentially even be an upgrade.
His shooting ability allows Jason Kidd to have more diverse options across the roster, which will be a God-send in the Playoffs even after Lively is cleared to return.
The Raptors Consolidate Assets
The OKC Thunder have displayed one thing that every tanking team should try to do at a trade deadline when they have a valuable veteran, especially on an expiring contract. Instead of letting them leave for a contender in the summer anyway, they can generate a tangible asset return which brings them picks as well as another contract to be moved down the road.
Kleber is averaging 3.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists this season, recently seeing his minutes increase as the Mavericks have been heavily injured. Even if Kleber’s production has dipped, nobody questions his ability as a player, especially on the defensive end of the court. He is a low-volume 3-and-D big man, capable of switching onto small-ball fours and fives while always providing a shooting threat.
Kleber will be on an expiring contract next season, allowing the Raptors to potentially flip the German for another contract and another asset, accumulating as many picks as they can until they’re ready to push for contention.
Should The Mavericks Focus Elsewhere?
In the grand scheme of things, the Mavericks do not need to adjust their center rotation. Lively and Gafford are an almost perfect pairing that allows opposing defenses to be under pressure at the rim for 48 minutes a game, especially with a creative passer like Luka on the ball. This should be their pairing for a few seasons at least, but Lively’s unavailability till April-May makes this uncomfortable.
There isn’t any other big man who can absorb these minutes, with Gafford not being an ideal option when he has to play over 30 minutes a game. Boucher adds another big man to the roster but a different one stylistically which provides Jason Kidd with more tactical flexibility.
Instead of moving someone like Gafford or Quentin Grimes for more forward help, it’s better to take a fringe-rotation player to address a short-term need like this. It keeps them competitive this season while giving them additional options for team-building in the summer, with Boucher’s money off the books.
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