DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks acquired two centers this offseason but are reportedly still pursuing more big men.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon, a longtime Mavericks insider, joined the Locked On Mavericks podcast to discuss the latest trade talks Dallas is involved in.
“Would they like to upgrade at starting center? Sure," MacMahon told host Isaac Harris. "Maybe they go into training camp with the roster as-is, but I don’t think they would rule out any other move.”
Dallas reportedly looked into deals for Hawks center Clint Capela and Suns center Deandre Ayton the night of the NBA Draft but have backed off both pursuits.
“I don’t think either one of them were particularly close," MacMahon explained. "The Capela deal … (Atlanta) wanted one of the guys who are valuable trade assets who are on rookie deals for the Mavericks, and the Mavericks didn’t want to do that.
“The Ayton thing … this is not a situation where the Mavericks have some huge motivation to go and get Deandre Ayton.”
Still, the Mavs acquired veteran center Richaun Holmes on draft night and also selected Dereck Lively II at No. 10 overall.
“Is the hope that Dereck Lively will be ready to start, not necessarily this season, but sooner than later? Yes," MacMahon said. "So they don’t necessarily want to bring in a guy who’s got a significant long-term deal unless they feel like they’re moving off money they’ve been trying to move for a while.”
Dallas is still looking to improve its team around perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic but doesn't seem to have a deal that makes sense on the table, at least right now.