The Dallas Mavericks are just now starting to get going following their four-game losing streak as they have now won three games in a row.
The Mavericks should appreciate how healthy they are now considering the injury bug that's been plaguing them the entire NBA this season. With the stars aligning perfectly for an NBA Cup matchup with New Orleans, it was a sign for Jason Kidd to insert the dream lineup that Mavs fans have been expecting.
That lineup helped lead Dallas to a much-needed win in the NBA Cup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
With the dream lineup now intact for Dallas, this is an opportunity to see what the roster can do at nearly full strength. For that to continue, the organization must stay away from a major speculated change.
Mavs would pay the price for years if they trade for Joel Embiid
Mavericks fans have been chatting about the possibility of Joel Embiid being traded to the Mavs over the last few days due to his strange situation in Philadelphia, and Dallas needs to stay away from this move at all costs.
Embiid has not been the ideal teammate this season, and his fit on and off the floor would be in question if Nico Harrison were to make a move for him.
The Philadelphia big man has been out due to injuries and disciplinary issues this season. Embiid is averaging under 15 points and shooting under 33 percent from the floor this season. This would be chasing a man who's currently trying to find his identity back, and if Dallas were to go for Embiid, they'd be paying the price for years.
The Mavericks have their own friendly big man battle to handle this season, so Kidd already has enough on his plate.
Trading to try and get Embiid would be a disaster for both sides, but for Dallas, a move as such would hurt massively.
For the 76ers trading away Embiid, this would be a nightmare for Daryl Morey trying to figure out who to trade him for. This already feels like a Ben Simmons-like hostage situation for the 76ers organization and whoever gets involved in that mess might pay a big price.
Embiid has expressed publicly about how he's against playing in back-to-back games. In the NBA, not only do players sign a contract for years and money, but they also sign up to talk to the press and play in games, such as back-to-back games. This is not the teammate Dallas needs. It only brings up a question of the kind of teammate he can be.
A situation like this would be like Rajon Rondo all over again where someone like Embiid could create friction by not meshing on the court on his new team to help his teammates win games.
Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are already considered one of the best big man duos in the game who should be getting nearly equal minutes in games. Losing any of them, or P.J. Washington wouldn't be worth it for the future.
If the Mavs were to make a move for someone this season, trading for fan favorite Dorian-Finney-Smith would be a much safer move. He's having some of the best numbers of his career at 11.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
The Mavericks organization must make the more mature move at getting a reliable 3-and-D player like Finney-Smith instead of a player who's concerned about back-to-back matchups.
Regardless of the great numbers and dominance of Embiid, he is not worth the headache that comes with him. Even though some Mavericks fans are speculating how he'd fit in Dallas, he is not worth the hassle and the Mavs would undoubtedly have to give up an absolute haul to get him. They don't have much draft capital to begin with, and getting rid of Kyrie Irving is a move that would backfire quickly.
Dallas has their core intact, and they don't need to make any franchise-altering moves.
