NBA Trade Rumors: The Dallas Mavericks have flipped the narrative on Dennis Smith Jr., looking to keep him moving forward
For the past few weeks, there was a growing belief that the Dallas Mavericks were pushing to move second-year point guard Dennis Smith Jr. ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline. No matter how silly it may appear, especially for a team that has had impressive moments overall throughout the young season.
On top of all that, it also that seemed to be gaining traction over the last few days.
The Dallas Mavericks are escalating discussions to find a trade for point guard Dennis Smith Jr., league sources tell ESPN. Phoenix and Orlando have engaged in ongoing talks with Mavs. Smith Jr., has sat out three straight games with what team has termed a sore back.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 15, 2019
However, the newest trade chatter has this narrative changed on a dime. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Mavs hope to “reconcile” with Dennis Smith Jr. and move forward with their young floor leader instead of actually moving him at the deadline.
"The Dallas Mavericks are optimistic that they can reconcile and move forward with point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and are insistent they won’t trade their 2017 lottery pick unless they get good value in return, sources told ESPN."
It’s not that surprising to see that the Mavs are having second thoughts about moving DSJ. The initial report was a bit of a head-scratcher, especially considering that DSJ is just in his second year with the team and has all the tools to be a really good player in the NBA.
Even though he’s been a bit of a disappointment (depending on who you talk to) through his first two years in the league, he’s still only 21 years old and is everything you look for in the prototypical point guard in today’s game.
He’s struggled some, sure, but it would be insane for any organization to completely throw in the towel on a second-year prospect. That’s not fair to him, of the Mavs (who selected him with the 9th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft).
Plus, his trade value at the moment is probably the worst its been since he came into the league. Especially considering that it hasn’t exactly been a big secret the the Mavs were shopping – or at the very least, listening to offers – for DSJ.
For at least now though, it appears that the Mavs are going to hold onto Dennis Smith Jr. And if there’s a team out there that really wants him, they’ll probably have to bump up their bids.