Sunday Mavs Donuts: Chasing A Wizards Center, And Dirk's 'Amateur GM' Opinion On The Kings' Kevin Martin

A Sunday Morning Mavs Donuts – Rumor Roundup Edition – with some of our Amateur GM thoughts mixed in as well. … What does "unofficial Mavs consultant'' Dirk Nowitzki think of trading for the Kings' Kevin Martin? ... Should Dallas chase the Wizards' Brendan Haywood as a throw-in? ... When will the Mavs call the Bulls and the Celtics? ... Donuts!

 

 

    DONUT 1: Put this under the heading of our David Lord playing “Amateur GM’’ (as opposed to sourced information). Let’s hand the stage to him for Donut 1:

  

    If I'm the Mavs shopping for a trade, after observing what else is being said around the league, I'm adding another name to my conversations.

 

  Brendan Haywood of the Wizards.

  Haywood turns 31 this fall, so he's no youngster. But he's been a solid defensive and rebounding presence, and it's no secret the Mavs have an ongoing need for another big man to pair with Erick Dampier.

   Fish and Stein are among those reporting that the Mavs have explored the landscape of a swap with the Wizards that would bring a wing player like Caron Butler or Mike Miller to Dallas. But when Butler is tied to other potential destinations, he's sometimes linked with Haywood in the outgoing package. Why isn't Dallas thought to be in the mix for such a wing/big man pairing?

   All three are thought to be available based on the presumption that the Wizards might decide to blow up the roster and rebuild, or at least strip down some of the older parts. None have bad contracts, but unless Washington intends to sink more money into new deals for Miller and Haywood this summer, both will be gone. Butler has one more year left. With the Wiz mired near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, there seems to be the potential for a deal in which some other team gives a bit of value in exchange for the chance to benefit from any remaining production under those existing contracts.

   (By the way, my same logic applies on the other coast. A similar approach might make sense with the Clippers, if either Camby of Kaman is available, by trying to get swingman Rasual Butler added to the package.)

    The Mavs need two players, another solid center and a scoring wing. (That will especially be the case, of course, if a deal that features Josh Howard also includes Drew Gooden’s expiring.) Why not try to get both?

  

    DONUT 2: Thanks, D-Lord. Now, to an update on another long-time DB.com pet idea: Picking up Kurt Thomas as a backup big. Turns out, according to TrueHoop, our old idea is being considered in the real NBA world.

 

    DONUT 3: Tim MacMahon writes:

 

    “I don't know exactly what Dirk thinks the Mavs should do in the trade market. But I do know that he will be asked for his input on any major move the Mavs make, as was the case before the Jason Kidd deal.

 

    Timmy Mac’s educated guess here is dead-on … and it’s actually fact.

 

    Let me remind you of what Dirk Nowitzki told a German media outlet when asked about Kevin Martin: 

 

    Dirk on trades:
 

  "We won´t make a deal just to make a deal. But we are trying to get better, so we keep our eyes and ears open. We are definitely interested if someone is available that makes us better."

   Dirk on Kevin Martin:

    "Kevin Martin is a good player and has made an impressive development since he came into this league. The only problem is that he´s often injured. He missed quite a few games this season, too. The question is if he would bring us to the next level."

 

     Nowitzki and Jason Kidd aren’t marching into the front office demanding this or that. But their opinions are welcome, let’s just put it that way. So much so that Dirk has an intimate-enough knowledge of Martin’s strengths and weaknesses.

 

    DONUT 4: So, does Dallas still covet Kevin Martin? Yes.

 

    Is the fact Dallas has lost four of five a motivating factor for the Mavs’ Triangle of Trust? Yes.

 

    Is the fact Sacto has lost 19 of 22 with Martin in the lineup a motivating factor for Kings management? I don’t know. (Notice this poll on Sactown Royalty. ... Kings followers aren't quite sure at this point if they should be buyers or sellers.)

 

    DONUT 5: Can Dallas and Sacto swing a deal that involves a third team and lands the Kings a big man? Maybe.   

 

    But here’s my two cents on what might be happening behind the scenes as it relates to a three-way: If that third team is giving a way a big and the cost to Dallas is essentially Josh Howard and change … might that big not be just as attractive to me as Kevin Martin?

 

 

    DONUT 6: Eddie Sefko tosses out the name of Courtney Lee. Nice. The young 2-guard doesn’t suddenly make the Mavs better than the Lakers. But he would make the Mavs better, he can play on both ends, and his contract isn’t at all crippling.

 

    DONUT 7: Eddie also drops the name of Detroit’s Tayshaun Price, who we already knew about … and Jason Maxiel, who we haven’t heard before.

      

   DONUT 8: I’m frankly surprised there isn’t more Ray Allen-to-Dallas buzz. I’ve heard none from Mavs insiders, but … 2-guard. Huge expiring contract. Two-way player. A second-banana scorer and a guy who regularly guards star wings. I know Allen is ancient, but …

   

    This is worth a phone call between old buddies Rick Carlisle and Danny Ainge, right?

 

   DONUT 9: In the coming days, Chicago will pop up as a Mavs discussion partner. Three reasons:

 

   *Kirk Hinrich. The Mavs made a last-minute phone call on him before last year’s deadline. I bet they do it again. (Though the devleopment of Roddy Beaubois certainly lessens the need.)

 

    *John Salmons. He’s being shopped by the Bulls just as he was shopped by the Kings a year ago. Dallas listened then. Therefore. …

 

    *Luol Deng. Now, I have no information here beyond his rumored availability. But I do know this: In Chicago, when Deng was going well, basketball people there and in Dallas compared him to Josh Howard. And at the same time, when Josh was doing well, people compared him to Deng. When it comes to a change-of-scenery mindset, this fits nicely.

 

   DONUT 10: I’m starting to wonder if the “Josh Howard camp’’ wasn’t exactly wrong about Josh-to-Toronto-or-Miami … but rather if the Josh Howard camp is mistaken regarding when the Mavs want such a deal to happen.

 

    It still makes little sense before Feb. 18.

 

    But it makes complete sense as a Summer of 2010 consideration.

 

    DONUT 11: Heard on good authority: The Warriors really are trying to do things … but they are in throwing-spit-against-the-wall mode. That is, they are shopping almost everybody on their roster (yes, including Monta, no matter what their suits say). They are meanwhile thinking of dumping salary. They are meanwhile considering taking on a “star.’’ They are meanwhile thinking of just riding this out and gearing up for next year.

 

    In other words, the Warriors are thinking of everything … one of those deals where if you have lots of plans, maybe you have no plans at all.

 

    One harsh indictment: The suggestion from San Francisco that:

 

     Don Nelson loves D-Leaguers, and continuously tells the front office that his coaching can turn $660k players into players worth $4M.

   

   Let me translate that for you, knowing Uncle Nellie as I do: Nellie is intentionally constructing a roster that will come with zero expectations. So any accomplishment whatsoever earns his some applause. … and earns him his contract.

 

    DONUT 12: Speaking of Monta (and circling back to Ray Allen): There is a very credible word out there that at this early stage, it takes somebody of that caliber to get Ray Allen from the Celtics. But if Boston doesn’t look like a real title contender in the coming days, that price goes down.

 

    DONUT 12: The Mavs and the Sixers on the subject of Andre Iguodala? We’re told the talks are still open but nobody is budging when it comes to Elton Brand having to be included in the deal. My gut feeling: Philly is pushing to dump Brand as a “bid-high’’ tactic but will eventually come down to a package of Iggy/Samuel Dalembert.

  

    And then the Mavs will be faced with that only-a-bit-less-difficult decision.

 

 

 

 

 

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1021am feb 7 2010

 

                                                     

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