Latest Trade Buzz on Centers Linked to Mavs; Who Will Start?

DALLAS — As their roster currently stands, the Dallas Mavericks still have Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber as center options from last year's roster — and their 2022 Western Conference Finals run — along with trade acquisition Richaun Holmes and lottery pick Dereck Lively II.

Kleber is set to begin a three-year, $33 million contract that he signed last summer. Meanwhile, Powell received a three-year, $12 million contract in free agency this summer. The Mavs relied on Powell the most as their starting center throughout the 2022-23 season, producing a 26-38 record in his 64 starts. The Mavs turned to Powell as a starter in an attempt to stabilize the team, but those efforts didn't yield the desired results.

With a rookie center in Lively and a veteran in Holmes, who is coming off a season where he wasn't in the Sacramento Kings' rotation, Powell should not be overlooked as being Dallas' starting center yet again. However, it's challenging to project a starting lineup in late July.

With the Mavs having acquired Holmes officially on July 6, the team is unable to aggregate his salary in a trade until Sept. 4. Right now, the latest news involving Holmes includes Mavs governor Mark Cuban expressing confidence in what Holmes could achieve with the team, calling him "the most underrated pickup of the summer."

“I think Richaun Holmes is going to be the most underrated pickup of the summer," Cuban told Justin Termine and Frank Isola on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "I mean, people forget what he could do with Sacramento before he got hurt, and then they get Sabonis and he takes his place.”

Lively has frequently drawn comparisons to Mavs legend Tyson Chandler, but he is likely going to be patiently worked into Dallas' center mix. The long-term goal remains for Lively to emerge as the team's defensive anchor and a versatile lob threat alongside both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but the 19-year-old could take some time to develop in the nuances of the game, in addition to acclimating to the schemes and principles the Mavs deploy as well.

Could Mavs Rekindle Trade Talks?

On Saturday, Marc Stein mentioned on “Saturday Sportsworld with Marc Stein” on 97.1 The Freak the Mavs would likely be more interested to "rekindle some of the trade talks they were involved in at the beginning of the summer" as opposed to targeting available 'bargain' free agents. Two centers the Mavs pursued earlier in the offseason included Atlanta Hawks' Clint Capela and Phoenix Suns' Deandre Ayton. Here's the latest buzz surrounding both of those players.

Clint Capela 'On The Trade Block'

On a recent episode of "The Hoop Collective" podcast, it was mentioned by ESPN NBA insiders Tim MacMahon and Brian Windhorst that Capela is considered as "being on the trade block." MacMahon added that the Mavs "would love" to have a starting center like Capela. 

The Mavs' interest in Capela is no secret considering the team attempted to acquire him from the Hawks before selecting Lively in the draft this time last month. Currently, Atlanta's desire to acquire Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors makes the Mavs' greatest outlook of acquiring Capela being in a potential three-team trade, sources recently told DallasBasketball.com. 

Since Tim Hardaway Jr. doesn't address a need for the Hawks, the Mavs' largest moveable contract isn't a fit in a straight-up trade in this scenario. Given that Atlanta was focused on creating salary-cap flexibility, such a trade isn't considered a clean match. Adding additional value would likely be needed. Hawks had interest in Josh Green and Jaden Hardy earlier this offseason, but Dallas was unwilling to include them in a trade.

Mavs' Complicated Negotiations for Deandre Ayton

The Suns were another team with a veteran center that the Mavs proved unable to acquire in a trade. Earlier this offseason, sources told DallasBasketball.com that the Suns were disinterested in taking on the contracts of Richaun Holmes and JaVale McGee, complicating a potential trade agreement being reached. 

With the 2023-24 league year officially being in action, the Suns must be calculated in any trade involving Ayton due to the restricted nature of their possible roster moves, as they are operating above the second tax apron. It seems that the most logical option for Phoenix at this point would be testing out Ayton's fit alongside newly-acquired Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and new head coach Frank Vogel before hastily dealing him to a Western Conference rival.

Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).