NBA Rumors: Two Mavericks prospects in high demand on trade market

The Dallas Mavericks have already made several reinforcements to their roster this offseason. The Mavs signed sharpshooter Seth Curry and two-way forward Grant Williams in free agency. They also drafted athletic defensive-minded big man Dereck Lively II and acquired reserve big man Richaun Holmes via trade.

However, some Mavs fans are still hoping to see Dallas make one more big off-season move to help get the team back into playoff contention. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, another deal may still be possible for Dallas. This comes as rival teams reportedly have significant interest in acquiring Mavs prospects Josh Green and Jaden Hardy:

“When teams call the Mavericks, or the Mavericks call teams, the names that come up very early in those conversations are Josh Green and Jaden Hardy,” MacMahon said on his podcast “Howdy Partners with Tim MacMahon.”

“Those are the players that other teams look at as far as being very attractive trade pieces.”

How did Josh Green and Jaden Hardy fare with the Mavs this past season?

Dallas Mavericks prospects Josh Green and Jaden Hardy

Josh Green, aged 22, played a key role on the Mavs this past season as one of their only reliable wings.

Green averaged 9.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.1 3-pointers per game while shooting 53.7% and 40.2% from deep over 60 games.

The 2020 No. 18 pick has played three seasons in Dallas and is set to become a restricted free agent next offseason. According to MacMahon, Green is expected to receive at least the full mid-level exception when he hits free agency:

“Josh Green is going to have a market,” MacMahon said. “I would say the mid-level, the full mid-level is going to be the floor for him.”

A full MLE contract next offseason could look something similar to the four-year, $54 million deal Grant Williams signed with the Mavs this offseason. This type of offer could make it difficult for Dallas to retain Green.

MacMahon added that if the Mavs don’t view Green as their starting small forward of the future, they could look to deal him away:

“Look, if the Mavericks don’t see him as a starting small forward then I think it does make sense to move him in a trade because there are other franchises that do,” MacMahon said.

As for Jaden Hardy, he is coming off a rookie season in which he played a minimum role off the bench for the Mavs. However, Hardy is still just 21 and flashed the potential to be a productive scoring guard when given increased playing time.

Hardy averaged 8.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.4 spg and 1.3 3pg while shooting 43.8% and 40.4% from deep over 48 games.

The 2022 No. 37 pick is still under contract on his rookie deal until the end of the 2024-25 season. However, if the Mavs want to accelerate their retooling even further, they may opt to deal Hardy for an established veteran player.