Despite already jolting the NBA with the Kyrie Irving trade, Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks may be going full Kylo Ren and calling for more.
NBA reporter Doc Louallen tweeted on Tuesday that the Mavericks are interested in acquiring Deandre Ayton from the Phoenix Suns via trade. Louallen adds that Mavs players Christian Wood and Tim Hardaway Jr. have been mentioned in the trade talks.
The seven-footer Ayton just began a new four-year, $132.9 million deal with the Suns. A high-efficiency big man who rebounds the ball well and can step out to hit a jumper, Ayton would be a good fit in Dallas as an impact center who does not need too many touches. Meanwhile, the combined salaries of Wood and Hardaway would be enough to match Ayton’s in a potential trade (with the Mavs also having players like Davis Bertans and Dwight Powell to use as salary filler).
But there is reason for skepticism as to whether Phoenix and Dallas, two Western Conference rivals who met in a heated playoff series last season, would be willing to do business with each other. The Mavericks were also indirectly responsible for some of Ayton’s recent problems with the Suns.
