The Dallas Mavericks have blown through some of the roughest portions of their schedule as we drift past the quarter mark of the NBA regular season. Dallas' November slate was filled with travel and a rigorous amount of away games, but now the Mavericks have progressed to an easier portion of their schedule where they are receiving more time to recoup from recent injuries and illnesses to their roster.
Now 17-9 and fourth in the Western Conference, the Mavericks have put themselves in an excellent position to maintain home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs if they keep winning at even close to the same clip that they have been over these past 15 games or so. Despite the Mavericks' recent success, there are still some opportunities to improve some of the weaker points on this roster, such as Dallas' lack of bigger-bodied wing defenders.
While Naji Marshall has filled in great in different ways as a replacement valve for Derrick Jones Jr., the Mavericks are still lacking a lengthier wing that can switch 2-4 defensively at an elite level on a consistent basis. Dallas already has one of these players in the form of P.J. Washington, but with second-year man Olivier-Maxence Prosper not looking quite ready to take on a big role yet and veteran big man Maxi Kleber being perpetually out of the lineup, the Mavericks could certainly use another defensive position.
Herb Jones would give the Mavericks a top-level starting unit
One team that the Mavericks could look toward as a potential trade partner for a player of this archetype is none other than the New Orleans Pelicans, as the Pelicans look like they could have a fire sale at the trade deadline after injuries have caused their season to go completely haywire, leaving them with the worst record in the Western Conference at 5-22.
The Pelicans have plenty of high-level role players and star-caliber players that project to be up for trade at this deadline, but arguably the best fit for the Mavericks from their current roster would be Herb Jones, as the 26-year-old wing is possibly the best perimeter defender in the NBA.
In a recent article from Shams Charania of ESPN (subscription required), Jones was named as a player that many other front offices are making calls in regard to his availability ahead of this trade deadline. Jones may come at a hefty price tag and he's highly coveted by the Pelicans, but Dallas would potentially have the best starting five in the NBA if they were to somehow find a way to make a trade for him.
The only way the Mavericks could accumulate the assets to trade for Jones would likely be through a pick swap with another team or if Dallas tried to facilitate a multi-team deal with New Orleans, and the Mavericks would likely part ways with Maxi Kleber and maybe another smaller contract to match Jones' roughly $13 million that he's due this season if this trade were to go down.
This would be tough to pull off, but teaming up Jones with his former teammate in Marshall would not only give the Mavericks two very solid 3-and-D wings that would are former Pelicans, but it would give the Mavericks a far more stout defensive lineup.
Jones is probably the best on-ball defender in the NBA, and his defensive style mirrors Derrick Jones Jr.'s, but with a far more physical style. Jones has missed quite a bit of time due to injury this season, but he shot a career-high 41.8 percent from outside last season, and he possesses pseudo-playmaking abilities and is a great slasher as well.
Jones would be the perfect trade candidate for the Mavericks if they were able to pull this off, and if he's able to rekindle his 3-point shooting jump from last season he would undoubtedly make the Mavericks contenders and would give them one of the best benches in the NBA, as adding Jones would likely constitute marksman Klay Thompson moving to the bench.
