NBA Trade News: Golden State Warriors trade Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks

What's the news?

The Dallas Mavericks have been excellent throughout the first half of the season, and they have been widely backed to be among the most active teams ahead of the trade deadline. The Mavericks have been linked to the likes of Andre Iguodala and Robert Covington - although ESPN is reporting that the team has completed a surprise trade for Golden State's Willie Cauley-Stein:

The Golden State Warriors are finalizing a deal to trade center Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks for a 2020 second-round pick. Dallas is sending a second-round pick that originally belonged to the Utah Jazz and acquiring Cauley-Stein with the $11.7 million trade exception created from the Harrison Barnes trade last February.

In case you didn't know...

After spending his first four seasons in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings, Cauley-Stein signed a two-year, $4.4 million deal with the Warriors last summer. The Warriors expected to contend when they signed the center, although Steve Kerrs' side has been hit with several injuries and currently sit 15th in the West with a 10-36 record. During his half-season with the Warriors, Cauley-Stein featured 41 times, averaging 7.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 23.0 minutes per contest.

The heart of the matter

The Mavericks were in desperate need of backup following Dwight Powell's season-ending Achilles injury - and while the Cauley-Stein deal has come out of nowhere - it appears to be a good bit of business for the Mavs. The 26-year-old should be able to give the team a good 15-20 minutes per night - and it will be interesting to see what other moves the ambitious Mavs front office can pull off over the next two weeks.

What's next?

The Warriors are in action later tonight as they face the Indiana Pacers. Meanwhile, the Mavericks face the Utah Jazz tomorrow.