Sixers' Iguodala To The Mavs? A $108-Mil Question -- And It's About Brand, Not Dalembert

   The Mavs are involved in “due diligence’’ regarding entering trade discussions with the Sixers for Andre Iguodala, sources tell DallasBasketball.com. And they add that there are three specific debate points – and in conflict with some published reports, one of them is not having to take on the contract of Samuel Dalembert, but rather having to take on the contract of Elton Brand.

    And when the Mavs add it all up, it becomes The 108-Million-Dollar Question.

    Details on those three debate points:

   When one team insider brought that up in my conversation with him this week, I responded by saying, “It’s the same sort of annual salary you’ve committed to Josh Howard. … and Josh has been a second banana on a contending team. If that made sense with Josh, why wouldn’t it make sense with Iguodala? Isn’t Iguodala a better second banana than Josh?’’

   The team insider did not argue back.

   In terms of talent, a trade with Iguodala and Howard as the centerpieces make Dallas a better team. That is also no debate. But how much better? Fifty-six million dollars better?

    Yes. Probably. If only that's where the swap could stop. ...

    2. How much talent would Dallas have to give back?

    ESPN’s Chad Ford is reporting that Philly has received an offer from Phoenix of Andre Stoudemire for Iguodala and Dalembert. Meanwhile, a Yahoo report says all Phoenix has received in terms of Stoudemire offers is “trash.’’

    One team’s trash is another team’s treasure, but the Mavs don’t seem to have the cards to be dealt into that level of deal. (Update at 7:33 p.m. Feb. 4 2010: I'll keep asking, but I cannot find credible confirmation of an actual "offer'' of Stoudemire to Philly. Maybe because logically speaking, if the Suns really offered it, the Sixers would seem likely to take it, like, yesterday.)

    Philly wants some talent in return for Iguodala. Dallas is trying to “win’’ a trade here. In the Mavs' minds, giving up Josh plus more real talent (meaning: Roddy Beaubois) for Iguodala doesn’t represent a win.

    3. Dalembert isn’t Dallas’ sticking point. Elton Brand is.

    The problem here: You don’t just get Iguodala and his potentially-excessive money. You also have to take on inarguably bad money. Is Dalembert bad money? The Mavs might not love him and his erratic level of play, but he’s only got one season left after this (at $12 mil) and he plays center, where the Mavs could use him.

    No, the handicap to a Mavs-Sixers deal -- and this comes straight from Mavs HQ -- is that Dallas believes it will have to consider taking on Elton Brand.

    When Brand is healthy, he’s a powerful force. And he’s been resurgent in some recent games; he's scored 26 twice in the last four outings. But NBA scouts who watch him regularly tell me they don’t see Brand doing much of that into the future … and for the future, he’s still owed $52 million.

    So assuming Brand has “lost it,’’ and assuming you have to take him to get Iguodala, it’s not just a 56-Million-Dollar Question due to Iguodala’s salary. And it has nothing to do with Dalembert’s salary.

    It might have to be, Mavs sources tell me, a deal to acquire Iguodala and to have to take Brand.

    So it becomes a 108-Million-Dollar Question.

    And you can understand why the Mavs are performing that "due diligence'' before answering it.