Raptors: 3 best assets Mavericks could give up in Goran Dragic trade
By Mike Luciano
The idea of a Goran Dragic trade has been circling around the Toronto Raptors from the very second he arrived in town, as given his desire to win a championship and the fact that Masai Ujiri might not be gunning for the Larry O’Brien Trophy this year, a trade might be the best scenario for both parties.
Dragic, who averaged 13.4 points per game with Miami last season, has been frequently mentioned as a player who could end up with the Dallas Mavericks. This is due in no small part to the fact that Dragic has been considering forming an all-Slovenian backcourt between himself and Luka Doncic.
Dragic and Dallas certainly seem like a nice fit, but Toronto won’t just give away someone with his scoring talent for pennies on the dollar. With a $19.4 million salary for this season and plenty of gas left in the tank, the Mavericks will need to offer Toronto some quality assets to actually facilitate a deal.
The Mavericks might be a bit top-heavy given all of the money that Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Tim Hardaway Jr. account for, but they have some solid assets to part with, like these three rotation players.
3 best assets Dallas could trade to the Toronto Raptors for Goran Dragic.
3. C Dwight Powell
Powell will almost assuredly come to the Raptors in any hypothetical Dragic trade, as his $11 million salary for next year can help the Mavericks match Dragic’s money. After some injuries limited his effectiveness, Powell averaged just 5.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season.
However, that doesn’t mean Powell will be a complete net negative. A native Canadian who saw his volume drop last season, Powell can still fly through the air for some impressive dunks, and the Raptors could always use another rebounder and interior defender off of the bench.
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Dwight Powell might have to come to the Raptors in this deal.
Powell, who just turned 30, averaged 9.5 points on 60% shooting in the three seasons prior to his uneven 2020-21 campaign. If the Raptors are convinced that he can get back to full health, there’s a real chance that he can play an impactful role as a center this season.
With Freddie Gillespie coming off of an awful performance in Summer League play, the Raptors could stand to get some extra depth, and Powell has more experience and pedigree than most dime-a-dozen backup bigs wallowing around in the free agent market. Maybe a return to Canada could invigorate Powell and get him to turn back the clock a bit.