1) "Do the Mavs think they can re-sign Tyson Chandler?"
I've seen this question asked here and there on DB.com Boards and elsewhere. And with all due respect, … it seems dumb to me.
The Mavs will have full Bird rights. Chandler is playing like an All-Star center and by both his words and his actions wants to be in Dallas. GM Donnie Nelson acquired him for a reason. Mavs
owner Mark Cuban has always paid for centers. We fielded these same weird questions about Haywood last spring, and the Mavs kept Haywood at a very
reasonable price (a deal starting at about $6.9 million.
Why would anyone see a problem with Chandler? I'm not buying it.
They will want him. He will want them. That will leave only one lingering issue … which we’ll address in a moment.
2) "How can Dallas move Haywood, JJB and Caron? as a package (totaling $19,277,000)?"
There is an implied statement here that I'm not sure is true, which is, “the Mavs are eager to give up those guys.’’ I suspect the reality is that the
Mavs see these players as decent fits in a good program. … less than “10’s’’ on a scale of 1-to-10, to be sure. But my impression is that there is not
a cloud of disgruntlement that hovers over the organization regarding these guys.
In short, I bet the Mavericks are fine with keeping those three – as underperforming as they have been as chronicled nicely here by Michael Dugat -- unless
another team wows them with something that the Mavs dearly want.
Haywood can be a frustrating talent. That’s nothing new.
As Fish has noted, the Mavs actually value the things that Barea does (like penetrate) because so few others on the roster do it.
And Butler continues to tease, as he did with his 23 points against Miami, with the promise that causes the Mavs to believe he can be the
All-Star-level player that Josh Howard was finished being.
My personal opinion is, the Mavs aren't actively looking for a trade. Passively? Always. Listening to offers? Certainly. But almost all of this sort of
aforementioned talk seem like "trade-just-to-make-a-trade" ideas ginned up by the impatient and pessimistic
Most of the names on any list of “Players the Mavs Should Get’’ feel like some sort of "cafeteria-line" approach to thinking about trades. That is, “ let’s thumb through the NBA roster lists and can simply select whatever player we want.’’
Pick a name. Any team. He is probably not even being shopped. He may not be a financial fit. His fit with Dallas may be dubious. And/or we're looking
at the thought that the Mavs should and can trade what we think is their so-so player for another team's better player.
If Haywood/Barea/Butler are only so-so as players or as chips, why would the other team be wanting such a deal?
3) OK, so what about a blockbuster deadline deal?
I see one trade need for Dallas. I am unchanged on this stance since three years ago, unchanged since two years ago, unchanged from the Summer of 2010,
when the Mavericks themselves were all geared up for the big buy:
A second superstar.
A second superstar, an offensive force, a two-way standout.
Problems? I see few of those that seem to be on the market. And even if one is, then there has to be a fit (he can't be a 4, for example). And then
after that, the Mavs have to have something the other team would want. If I'm Cuban, I think those criteria eliminate almost everyone … and my trade
list consists of only one name right now:
Carmelo Anthony.
Oh, add Chris Paul to it, too, though CP3 seems to have been pacified in New Orleans. But for the sake of this exercise, let’s focus on Anthony. Going
back to above “baggage’’ that some would want Dallas to unload: Haywood/Butler/JJB would be a laughable offer for ‘Melo – especially with DB.com having
reported that Denver doesn’t want to swap ‘Melo within the conference, and especially with Anthony clearly wanting to work his way to the New York
area.
So what if it takes giving up Tyson Chandler (and Roddy Beaubois) to make the blockbuster deal? That’s an argument for another day … but mentioning it
here illustrates the complications involved here.
By the way: Despite what Cuban has said, I don't think Denver defers a ‘Melo move until the summer. The "to-NY-for-nothing-in-return" threat is a huge
risk if Denver waits until then, and I don't think they can afford to take that risk.
So there will be deals discussed. And Dallas will be involved in the discussions. But the only thing that’s obvious about any of these collection of
Mavs transaction ideas is the marriage with Tyson Chandler … a player who is making Dallas’ last major transaction (The DUST Chip) seem like they know
what they’re doing.