The injuries keep rolling in for the Dallas Mavericks, and several of their role players have been dropping like flies over the last few days when it comes to availability.
Dallas was already without Maxi Kleber and Dante Exum due to various injuries, and Dereck Lively II and P.J. Washington joined this list earlier this week. Lively II sprained his shoulder in pregame warmups before Monday night's game against the Indiana Pacers, and Washington sprained his knee and will miss tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls.
These injuries happened at the worst time, and while Lively II could still end up playing tonight as he is questionable, it may be time for the Mavs to make a trade to bolster their frontcourt depth.
Dallas' frontline of their frontcourt is extremely strong as Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and P.J. Washington are big difference makers every night, but their depth behind this group is lacking. Kleber can provide a spark when fully healthy, but his health has been a major concern over the last few years. He can seemingly never stay healthy, and they need someone else in the rotation who can step up and play when needed.
Finney-Smith would give Mavs needed depth at backup four spot
The best way to acquire such a player would be through a trade considering that the depth behind the aforementioned players is weak, and a former Maverick could be the perfect remedy for this lack of depth. Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes put out a "dream and realistic trade target" for every team across the league, and the Mavs' dream target was Dorian Finney-Smith of the Brooklyn Nets.
Fans and media alike are seemingly always speculating about a Finney-Smith return to Dallas, and although the Nets' asking price may be too step to begin with, the possibility shouldn't be ruled out.
Finney-Smith spent the first six and a half years of his NBA career with the Mavs and now may be the right time to consider bringing him back if Kleber's hamstring injury is expected to keep him out for an extended amount of time. Finney-Smith knows how to play next to Luka Doncic and within Jason Kidd's system, and his defense and 3-point shooting off the bench would help the Mavericks get more production out of their bench unit. The back half of Dallas' roster has underperformed some this season, and Finney-Smith would be able to provide a lift and give the Mavs some more size in their frontcourt.
In eight games so far for the Nets this season, Finney-Smith is averaging 10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 34.8 percent from behind the arc. His 3-point percentage is down since he left Dallas, but the fact that he has the confidence to shoot them in the first place is a good sign.
Finney-Smith is averaging nearly six 3-point attempts per game, and the Mavs' bench unit has needed 3-point shooting badly. Dallas' bench players have only made 17 3-pointers all season long, and that boils down to 2.4 threes per game from the bench guys. That number is way too low when considering that the Mavs were third in the NBA in total 3-pointers made last season, and although Dallas is finding a way to win some games without dynamic 3-point shooting, adding one more player who can knock down shots from outside at a semi-consistent clip would be a step in the right direction.
Finney-Smith would give the Mavs a switchable defender with good size, and it's clear they need a bit more size when it comes to their wing spots.
Dallas was in trade rumors for Finney-Smith last season a few months before they made season-altering trades to bring in Gafford and Washington, and sources made it clear to The Smoking Cuban that Finney-Smith would be interested in a Mavs reunion at some point down the road.
Finney-Smith is set to make $14.9 million this season before having a player option for around $15.4 million ahead of the final year of his deal, next season. The Mavs would have to give up some decent capital to get this deal to go through considering how much the Nets value him, but he could be what this team needs to give them some depth and consistency off the bench.
Dallas' need for depth off the bench, specifically at the power forward spot, could grow even more as the season goes on and Finney-Smith would be a good option if the Mavs do decide to make some moves in a few months.
