Little more than a year after using a lottery pick on him, the Dallas Mavericks appear ready to at least consider giving up on Dennis Smith Jr.
Both Marc Stein of the New York Times and Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported Monday that there’s a belief from other executives that the Mavericks will ultimately trade Smith, and the organization has already gauged interest in the former lottery pick on the trade market.
.@TheSteinLine mentions expectation among execs around league that Dennis Smith Jr. will eventually be moved. Mavs tell Steiny that they aren't shopping Smith, but that's semantics. Execs from other teams tell me that Mavs are at least gauging market for their 2017 lotto pick. https://t.co/AVYevoyif0
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 24, 2018
Smith had a promising rookie season but hasn’t really progressed in year two, with his points and assists per game both dropping, though not significantly. The Mavericks fear that he can’t neatly coexist with rookie Luka Doncic and would like to see what they can get for Smith. At least one prominent player is a fan of his talent, and it’s safe to say teams will be interested.
